innocence
by HannahKayisInvisable
Summary: full summary inside. many pairings, it starts right after season 2 fanale! read and review please and thank you
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, guys. I'm here again. I am struck with a sense of sadness-house of Anubis is gone for a while (I am SURE there will be another season though)… so I was bored and I googled (google is a magical place, isn't it?) "Osirian"…and this is what I found:**

**"Every Chosen One has someone to balance her, just like yin and tang. This person is called Osirian. The Chosen One's Osirian is her complete opposite (personality, gender, ect.) and protector. Rufus was Sarah Frobisher-Smythe's Osirian. The identity of Nina's Osirian is Eddie. Nina and Eddie may one day become more than friends or may become more than friends or may become very close but still remain platonic. The Osirian has powers like the Chosen One, but those are still unknown." **

**I don't know how people know this- Sarah and Rufus? I just don't know. Anyway, it got me thinking and beyond that I've been WANTING to write one of these, so here it is. I mean the finale left so much up in the air. Not only Fabina but also the new found Mara/Jerome pairing (love!) and Mick's reaction. There's just so much to go on with Jerome's dad being out of jail and Poppy being around and Gran's mysterious recovery and Mr. Sweet knowing about Eddie all along. What in the world will happen with Alfie and Amber-is Amfie back to stay? And Joy, will she ever get a boyfriend or will she just be slightly bitter forever? All this shall be answered in this fic (hopefully:D)**

**Now, before I start let me just pour out my heart to you guys. I'm a mess. My English teacher has taken my dreams and stomped on them. He has crushed my dream to one day work at the New York Times and slowly but surely he is going to make me stop writing period-I'll snap like an tremendously emotional teenage girl can do so easily. I need you guys to review. I need you to tell me to fight against his opposition. He'll be your adversary. This can be a game. With every chapter, your challenge is to keep me writing a new one as he tears me down day by day (essay by essay, two by two). You can save my writing. **

**FABINA's BACK!**

The group dispersed back into the party but Nina held onto Fabian, letting everyone else slip into the living room. She smiled, leaning forward to kiss Fabian gently, fingers threading into his hair. She pulled away, blushing slightly and smiling at him. "We never get to do that." She joked and Fabian chuckled, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.

"I know. Someone always interrupts us." He answered, grinning at her and looking down at his arm with a little smile. "It's all over." He mumbled and Nina smiled, leaning her head against his chest.

"Don't jinx it." She whispered into the fabric of his tee shirt. "Just hold me." He nodded, tightening his grip on her waist and swaying to the tune of the music swelling in the room beside them.

Mick drifted out of the party, bag slung over his shoulder and bumped into them. "Oh, sorry." He mumbled and Nina frowned, pulling away and looking at him with a concerned tilt of her head.

"What's wrong, Mick?" She asked, seeing his dejected expression. She reached down to take Fabian's hand, squeezing it lightly but keeping her eyes on Mick.

"Don't worry about it, Nina. I think I'm just going to go." He answered, heading for the door but Fabian shook his head.

"Mick, don't leave like that." Fabian argued. "What's going on?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at his old roommate.

Mick shrugged. "It's just the reason I came for doesn't seem to want me anymore." He answered, unable to look them in the eye.

"Mara?" Nina asked, frowning. "It's just we've all been going through a lot lately."

Fabian nodded. "I'm sure it's not about you, man. Don't leave, go talk to her."

Mick shook his head. "I don't think so, Fabian." He argued. He was turning red, eyes welling up a little bit in the corners as they attempted to help. "Could you guys just tell her bye for me? I have to get out of here right now."

"No, Mick, don't just leave." Nina persisted.

"Nina, it's over." He answered, getting louder with ever word. He was loosing it, getting redder with every broken word.

"It doesn't have to be." Fabian told him, eyes kind. "Nina and I broke up but we're together now. Things happen, Mick, I'm sure whatever it is can be fixed. It's going to be okay."

"She kissed Jerome!" Mick nearly yelled. His voice was harsh and sounded wrong coming from the usually calm athlete. Angry tears slipped down his cheeks as Nina stood with a pained expression and Fabian bit his lip nervously. The party in the other room had gone silent and a few seconds later Mara was standing in front of him. Nina and Fabian looked at each other, feeling completely trapped as Mick stared daggers at the wall, looking over Mara.

"Mick, look at me." She begged but he didn't. His eyes were wet with tears and his voice strained.

"I'm going back today." He answered.

Mara's eyes appraised his expression sadly. "Don't leave like this, Mick." She begged, frowning deeply.

"It's okay, Mara. I get it. I left and you moved on. It's fine. I'll go back to Australia and move on too." He answered, turning to the door.

"Can I at least say I'm sorry?" She whispered and he turned to her, eyes broken.

"Mara, don't be sorry." He sighed. "We tried long distance. Obviously it didn't work out. It's fine. I'll be fine." He told her and she sighed, tears springing into her own eyes.

"Can we stay friends?" She asked sadly and he nodded, hand on the door.

"Eventually." He answered and then he was gone, walking out of the door and Mara started to cry.

Nina crossed the room, hugging her. "It's okay." She whispered but she knew it wasn't true. It sucked.

The living room door opened again and Jerome looked at them with a confused frown. Fabian shook his head, looking at Mara and Nina sadly before mouthing Mick's name. Jerome sighed, walking over to them. Nina gently pushed Mara into his arms before scooting backwards out of the room. Fabian edged his way from the room after her, reaching for her hand. "That was fun." He hedged and Nina laughed, pulling him to the dance floor.

Amber walked over, grinning from ear to ear at their intertwined hands. "Fabina is back!" She said jubilantly, hugging their necks again. "I'm so glad."

Fabian chuckled. "I am too." He answered just as Patricia and Eddie walked up.

"What just happened out there?" Eddie asked with a little frown.

"Mick just left…" Nina told him with a frown and Patricia made a face.

"Why?"

Fabian and Nina exchanged a look. "He saw Jerome and Mara." Fabian answered and Patricia nodded.

"Figures." She answered.

Alfie walked over and grinned at them, closely flanked by Joy. He raised his hand over his eye and beamed. "I'd say score one for Sibuna."

Patricia glanced at Eddie but Fabian smiled. "I think Eddie's a Sibuna now." He answered and raised his hand to cover his eye.

The others did so too and then they said in unison, smiles on their lips. "Sibuna."

**YOU GUYS MUST READ MY PJO/HOA cowritten crossover. and join my forum. pm me:) OR JUST REVIEW:D**


	2. Chapter 2

**STERO HEARTS. ricky martin is sexy and he knows .**

**You guys are amazing. I love you already. The response for the first chapter stunned me. Three reviews within the hour-ok that's what it seemed like but that's just roughly stated- then another one and like five favorites and/or alerts. You're great. **

**Thanks for your feedback about Chad-my English teacher. I know he's a git but it still hurts. My English teachers used to love me. They thrived off of my love for English and told me to never stop writing. Then I got to Chadwick and he has always been indifferent. He's this straight out of college first year of teaching dude that is about to push me off a symbolic cliff. All we have done ALL freaking year is test prep (ENGLISH 2 STATE TEST). I mean I freaking read Silas Marner over the summer for no reason-no mention. Anyway, he's given me twos (1-4) on my two essays we've done (and we have only done two with that scale, HE has only graded 2) and we have the English 2 Writing Test in a little over a week and I'm just stressed. He's shaken my confidence and its good to have someone to boost it up. **

**I love you guys and since I've put you through my sob story, I'm going to give you your chapter now!**

**PS: Peddie's coming, I promise. Oh and I do take requests. I'll try to fill them if you tell me what you want. Fluffy, mysterious, Alfie/Amber, Fabina, whatever. Just tell me and I'll try to give it to you.**

Eddie followed his dad back to the school, slipping into his office after him. "Alright, dad. What's going on?" He asked, sitting down in the chair across from his dad and crossing his arms over his chest.

Mr. Sweet coughed, leaning back in his chair. "Eddie, I'm not sure if you're ready for this." He hedged, looking over Eddie's head out the window into the hallway nervously.

"Dad, I just warded off some sort of spirit from Nina Martin's body. Isn't it time I find out what you know?" Eddie argued, frowning at him.

Mr. Sweet sighed. "You're right, Edison." He answered just as there was a knock on the door. He exhaled. "Come on in, Mrs. Williamson." He answered and Eddie sighed as the door opened and Patricia stepped inside.

"Er, hi, I was just looking for Eddie." She told Mr. Sweet who nodded.

"We can continue this later, Edison." He answered and Eddie stood up, straightening his shirt before turning to Patricia who quickly stepped back outside.

"Did I interrupt something?" She asked and he shook his head.

"Not really. Just dad, checking in." Eddie lied, smiling at her. He grinned mysteriously. "Come with me." He asked and Patricia shrugged, allowing him to tow her down the hall and into an empty classroom where he closed the door behind them. "So, Yacker, how're you doing?" He asked and Patricia shrugged, hanging her arms loosely around his neck.

"Significantly better since you did…" She tilted her head to the side, looking at him curiously. "What exactly did you do?" She asked with a little frown pulling at her eyebrows.

Eddie shrugged. "Get in line." He answered, turning away and crossing the room to sit on the edge of the teacher's desk and look over at her.

She stood by the door, breathing quietly as she thought over his response. "You said something about an…what did you say?" She crossed the room so she was standing in front of him. "Osirian, that's it. What is that, Eddie?" She asked and Eddie exhaled loudly.

He looked into her brown eyes and swallowed hard. "It's me." He answered before looking over her shoulder. "I had a dream about that spirit and she was calling me the Osirian and saying I might be more important than the others. She almost touched me but Fabian woke me up…Patricia, I don't know what it means." He mumbled, biting his lip a little bit.

Patricia took a deep breath. "She almost touched you?" She asked shakily and he nodded. "She tried to give you the mark." She breathed and Eddie frowned.

"What do you mean, the mark?" He asked, looking at her with a pained expression.

Patricia touched her arm and then looked back to him. "She gave us all the mark of Anubis." She admitted, cupping her arm with her hand. "If we didn't get her what she wanted then she would kill everyone with the mark." She told him almost silently.

He frowned, wrapping his arms around her. "It's over now…somehow." He mumbled, hugging her close to his chest. "All I know is toward the end I just had to save Nina. I had to stop what was happening and I knew how to do it somehow." He muttered into her hair.

She shook her head, pulling out of his grip to look into his eyes. "Can we not talk about that anymore?" She looked at him seriously and he nodded, smirking just a bit.

"What do you want to talk about then?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow at an eyebrow at her as she smirked right back at him.

"I was hoping not to talk at all." She answered, slipping her arms around his neck again and threading her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.

He grinned at her. "Oh really?" He asked before leaning forward a bit. "Sounds about right, Yacker." He whispered before leaning into her lips, kissing her gently but she shook her head, pulling him closer.

"Come on, Eddie. Joy almost died. Nina almost turned into a freakish passageway fro that crazy spirit into the after life. Kiss me like you mean it." She whispered against his lips.

He looked into her eyes before nodding and pressing his lips to hers firmly. "Okay, Patricia." He agreed, kissing her firmly and wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him.

"OH!" Nina gasped, biting her lip as she opened the door and nervously hovered in the doorway. "Um, sorry." She said as Patricia pulled away from Eddie with a smirk.

"Better, Edison." She answered with a little smirk before sneering and turning to Nina. "Looking for me?" She asked and Nina nodded.

"Yeah, Trudy's got dinner ready." Nina answered, blushing a little bit as she, turned away, closely flanked by a smiling Patricia. "Sorry about that." She answered with a little laugh.

"No matter." Patricia answered before smiling at Nina evilly. "I'll just make a point to interrupt you and Rutter sometime."

Nina laughed, rolling her eyes as she glanced back at the flushed Eddie who was still sitting on the edge of the desk. "You think he's alright?" She asked and Patricia nodded.

"He'll come." She thought for a minute. "Um, Sibuna meeting tonight? We need to talk about Eddie." She added, glancing back at him before pushing the front doors open and stepping into the sunshine.

"Alright. I'll tell the others. We'll meet in my room at eleven like normal?" Nina confirmed and Patricia nodded. "Perfect."

Back at the Anubis house the others were sitting at the dinner table, eating and chattering easily as if the day hadn't been life or death for most of the group. Nina took the empty seat between Fabian and Amber and Patricia and Eddie sat across from them. Eddie wore a strange expression but no one commented about it as Patricia quickly joined in on the banter and Nina, Fabian and Amber started up an easy going conversation. The news of the Sibuna meeting spread quickly and the plan was made so after dinner they all parted ways to go get ready.

"It's ten o'clock! I want to be able to hear a pin drop!" Victor yelled at ten and Nina tucked herself into the covers temporarily. Amber did the same, making a little noise of discontent before sitting up in her bed, looking at Nina.

"It's been a long day." She commented, yawning. "I wonder what Patricia has on Eddie."

Nina smirked over at her through the darkness. "I doubt she has anything _on_ him."

There was a knock on the door and Nina glanced at the clock. It was ten thirty. She slipped out of bed in her pink pajamas and opened the door to find Fabian standing on the other side in his favorite faded blue pajamas. Alfie was behind him in a red pair, grinning. Nina smiled at them. "Come on in." She said, taking Fabian's hand. She pulled him inside by his hand and sat on the edge of her bed with her legs curled underneath her. "Sit." She told him and he laughed, sitting down beside her with a little smile.

Alfie walked over and plopped on the end of Amber's bed. "Hello, Amber!" He said giddily just as Patricia opened the door. She walked in and sat on the edge of Amber's bed, frowning slightly.

"I'm guessing tonight won't be Eddie's first Sibuna meeting?" Nina asked, raising an eyebrow at her while holding Fabian's hand.

Patricia shook her head. "Earlier today when I brought Eddie back to the house after what happened with Rufus he started talking nonsense. He realized he had the gem in his pocket and it was burning his hand." Her face strained on the word burning and she bit her lip, looking up at Nina with a frown. "Then he started muttering something about the Osirian and saying that he had to save Nina, where was Nina, he had to save her."

Fabian looked at Nina, eyebrows knitting together. "In the dream…Senkhara thought I was the Osirian then she turned around and saw Eddie…" He trailed off, looking at Nina with a frown. "I didn't think anything of it."

"What is it?" Amber asked, crossing her arms over her chest in an irritated manner.

Patricia looked at her, eyes wide and a little scared. "That's the problem."

"We don't know." Fabian finished but her eyes were only on Nina.

**I AM SO SORRY IF THE ENDING IS SUCKY! I REALLY DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO FINISH AND POST THIS BEFORE I LEFT BUT I FELT THE COMPULSIVE NEED TO…YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN SO GREAT.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I've got a tight grip on reality. and honestly, my life would suck without you**

"Fabian?" Amber asked as the next morning as they were sitting at breakfast the next morning. Nina had overslept and was still upstairs so her seat was vacant so Amber could see Fabian clearly. Fabian's eyes were glazed over as he looked out the window, eyes unfocused. "You okay?" She asked him, raising a manicured eyebrow at him.

Fabian's eyes turned on her tiredly. "Yeah, I'm fine, Amber." He answered before turning to leave the room.

Amber frowned. "That didn't go well." She mumbled, watching as he left. She took a bite of her toast before dropping it to the plate as the door from the kitchen swung open. Nina and Eddie strolled in, laughing about some joke Eddie'd told a few seconds before. He smiled, slipping past her to sit beside Patricia before Nina plopped in the beside Amber, smiling.

"Morning. Where's Fabian?" She asked, nodding to the empty seat beside her. She poured herself a glass of water from the water pitcher and took a sip as Amber thought of a response.

"I don't know. He wasn't really here when he was here." Amber answered with a little frown pulling at her eyebrows. "Something seemed wrong." She added under her breath before Alfie started talking to her.

Nina frowned, taking a look at Fabian's untouched plate of food before turning to leave the room. She slipped out into the main hall before walking down the stairs and knocking on Fabian's door. "Fabian?" She mumbled, biting her lip as she turned the doorknob, opening the door to find him fiddling with his bag. His laptop was sitting at the end of his bed, slightly open.

He looked up at her with a forced smile. "Nina." He stated, walking over to kiss her gently. "You weren't at breakfast." He stated, wrapping his arms firmly around her waist.

"I was running late." She answered, smiling at him. "Amber said you were a little off. Are you okay?" She asked gently and he nodded.

"I'm fine." He answered before leaning down to kiss her again. She smiled against his lips, knotting her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck to tug him closer. He leaned into her and gently pushed her against the door just as someone pushed it opened, causing Nina to squeal, jumping a bit.

"Gottcha, Martin." Patricia said with a little laugh. "I didn't think you'd slip up this soon." She countered as Nina blushed into Fabian's neck.

Fabian frowned, wrapping his arms tightly around Nina's waist again. "What're you talking about?" He asked, eyeing Eddie as he slipped in behind the grinning Patricia to get his bag.

Patricia smirked. "Just girl things, don't worry about it, Fabes." She answered with a snide smile as she turned from the room. "Don't worry about it!" She called back with an evil giggle.

Eddie chuckled, patting Fabian on the back. "Your girlfriend caught us yesterday." He explained with a smirk. "Yacker wanted revenge." He grinned mischievously before leaving them alone again.

Nina made a face, taking Fabian's hand. "We better go or we'll be late." She said, pulling him out into the hall. He nodded and allowed her to drag him along until they opened the front doors of the school. "What's wrong with you, Fabian?" Nina asked as they walked into French and took their seats in front.

Fabian shrugged, smiling at her. "Nothing's wrong, Nina." He lied as class started.

In the back of the classroom Mara was taking vigilant notes, smiling to herself with Jerome at her side. He smirked a little at her expression before flipping open his notebook and scribbling something down and scooting it over to Mara. Mara raised and eyebrow at him but he grinned at her. _So, that date?_ He'd written so she rolled her eyes.

_What about it?_ She wrote back and he smirked, taking the notebook back.

_How about today after school?_ He countered and she smiled at him.

_If I say yes will you let me take my notes?_ She asked and he nodded, making a face. _Alright then, it's a date._

Jerome grinned and turned to look at the board where Miss V was conjugating verbs. Boring. He glanced over at Alfie who was looking out the window dreamily beside Amber who was flicking through a magazine under the table. He turned to see Patricia yawning and glancing over at Eddie who was obviously doodling in the margins of his paper. Joy was sitting on the other side of Patricia, frowning at Fabian sadly.

Jerome sighed. He was so over this class. He flipped through his notebook and then glanced at the clock with a grin. "Time to go." He mumbled just before the bell rang and the group stood up, filing out of the room one by one. Jerome watched as Fabian ducked out the door, following Amber and smirked. He walked over to Nina and made a face. "So, what's up with you and Rutter?"

Nina frowned, packing up her bag and balancing it over her shoulder. "What do you mean?" She asked, tilting her head to the side as she stepped out into crowded hallway and sidestepping to her locker.

"You didn't notice how he ran from the room after class?" Jerome asked and Nina just rolled her eyes, walking away. Jerome shrugged before spotting Fabian, Amber and Patricia hurrying out the front doors. "Hm. Some kind of unholy and unthinkable threesome?" He asked Mara who had appeared beside him and she shook her head as he turned to follow them.

"Jerome, don't follow them…" Mara called but he was already out the door.

Jerome followed them across the grass and back to Anubis house where Fabian pulled them down to his room. Jerome's eyebrows pulled together as he smirked, watching them. "Maybe I was right." He answered with a little chuckle before shaking his head. "God, I hope I'm wrong." He stood outside the door, listening through the crack they'd left, thinking no one would be in the house.

"What's going on, Fabian?" Patricia's voice asked.

"I spent all night cross referencing the origins of the word Osirian and I've found that-" He began but Amber cut him off.

"Could you please speak English?"

Fabian sighed. "I googled Osirian last night." He paused, obviously checking to see if he was going to be stopped. "After hours I finally found something. Here Patricia, read that."

"Every Chosen One has someone to balance her, just like yin and yang. This person is called Osirian. The Chosen One's Osirian is her complete opposite (personality, gender, ect.) and protector. Rufus Zeno was Sarah Frobisher-Smythe's Osirian." Patricia looked up, frowning a bit.

"Did I hear that right?" Amber asked and Jerome frowned.

"Keep reading Patricia." Fabian said in a monotone that made Jerome uneasy.

Patricia's words slowed. "It's common for the Osirian and the Chosen One to develop either a serious friendship or a romantic relationship due to their connection."

"No!" Amber hissed. "No, no, no." She shook her head and Jerome frowned deeply.

"What are they talking about?" He mumbled almost under his breath.

"I see why you've been in a mood today." Patricia mumbled.

"Okay, this can't be right, Fabian, don't even think it. I don't care what that says." Amber argued almost to herself. "No mythological bond could break the Fabina bond."

"Nothing, huh?" Patricia asked. "And Peddie? What about that?" She asked and then she stormed out the door, pushing Jerome out of the way.

Fabian's eyes zoned in on Jerome evidently. "What did you hear?"

Jerome crossed his arms. "Everything." Amber and Fabian exchanged a look. "What's going on?"

**well…you know what to do.**


	4. Chapter 4

**You're not getting off that easy response to a review of last chapter. You can figure it out.**

**1. What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger covered by Glee!**

**2. What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction**

**3. Glad You Came covered by Glee!**

**(1-3, 1-3, 1-3, ect.)**

Nina was sitting in class beside an empty desk, tapping her pencil against her notebook with a little frown. Class was nearly over and there'd been no sign of Fabian, Patricia, Amber and strangely Jerome. Seemed like an odd group: Three out of seven Sibunas and Jerome. Where had they gotten off to?

The bell rang and she jumped, dropping her pencil on the desk. It rolled of her notebook and landed with a thump on the floor. She sighed, grabbing her notebook and stuffing it in her bag before reaching to pick it up.

"You seen Yacker?" Eddie asked, appearing beside her and scooping the pencil off the ground to hand to her.

She shook her head. "You seen Fabian?" She countered, standing up and sliding her bag onto her shoulder.

He frowned, following as she slipped into the hallway. "Hmp." He mumbled as she stopped at her locker to grab her books for her next class. "Should we be worried?" He joked, smiling down at her and she rolled her eyes, closing the locker.

"Very funny, Eddie." She answered, leaning against the locker. "Jerome and Amber weren't in class either."

He shrugged. "I wonder where they got off to."

"I don't know." She muttered, looking over Eddie's shoulder with a dazed expression. Fabian was acting weird all morning. Now they're missing. That couldn't mean anything good.

He glanced behind him, following her eyes before pushing her shoulder. "Cheer up, chosen one." He joked and she smiled, looking down at the ground.

"You're my chosen one." Fabian had whispered, voice soft and low in her ear.

The doors at the end of the hall opened and Patricia, closely flanked by Fabian were standing in the doorway, eyeing them. Fabian's eyes were wide, face contorted in pain. "It's starting." He whispered almost under his breath but Patricia shook her head.

"Not if I have anything to do about it." She replied, walking up to Eddie, pushing him against a locker and kissing him hard right there in the middle of the crowded hallway.

Nina bit her lip, stepping away with a nervous expression and turning to walk to class. She then spotted Fabian standing at the end of the hall, hands frozen on the door handle. She frowned, walking over to him. "What's wrong, Fabian?" She asked, taking his hand in hers. "What's happened?"

He bit his lip. "Nothing yet." He answered, swallowing hard.

"What do you mean yet?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

He shrugged. "Don't worry about it, we better get to class." He mumbled, turning and walking down the hall.

"Wow, Patricia, what got into you?" Eddie asked from where they were by the lockers.

Patricia shook her head. "Nothing." She lied, turning and walking off.

Nina and Eddie exchanged a look. "Something is going on." Nina told him and he nodded.

"Something is going on all righ-" He was cut off by the sound of Mr. Sweet's voice coming from overhead.

"Edison Sweet to the principal's office." His voice said before the speaker was cut off.

Eddie sighed. "What did I do now?" He mumbled, shaking his head. "I'll see you later, Nina." He walked down the hall and slipped into his dad's office silently, plopping in the chair.

"I'm ready to talk about things if you are, Edison." His dad announced and Eddie sat up a little straighter. "The question is whether you are ready for this."

Eddie nodded eagerly. "I am ready for this." He answered and Mr. Sweet stood up, turning to the window. "Dad?" He asked after a few moments of pure silence.

Mr. Sweet turned, eyes intent on his son's wide eyes. "You're the Osirian to Nina's being the Chosen One." He began but Eddie just frowned. Before he was able to comment, his father continued. "This means you are her protector. Like what happened yesterday was the first of many battles and you must protect her at all costs."

Eddie frowned. "I don't get it. Why me?" He asked and his dad chuckled.

"The Osirian is the Chosen One's complete opposite." He answered as he sat down across from his son. "You have the power too, Edison. You just have yet to find it."

Eddie leaned back in his chair, thinking that over. "I get it. Dad, what does this mean?" He asked under his breath and Mr. Sweet shrugged.

"That much you must figure out on your own." He answered, glancing at the clock. "You should be getting to lunch now."

Eddie stood up, grabbing his bag and turning to the door. "Thanks, dad." He said quietly, opening the door and stepping out into the crowded hallway.

"Oh, and Eddie?" Mr. Sweet called to him. Eddie turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow at him. "Don't tell Nina yet. There is no reason to force your position on her. It should happen naturally which is why I didn't tell you originally. Only now that you've experienced the _need_ to save her did I realize it was time for you to know the truth." He told him and Eddie nodded. "Good luck, Osirian. Protect the Chosen One at all costs."

Eddie bit his lip as he walked away but didn't comment as he headed back to Anubis house. His father's expression had been so serious and he'd explained why he'd kept things from Eddie all his life…it even explained why he might've wanted him a world away. It wasn't that his father didn't want him, it was that he wanted nothing more than to protect him until the time came that the Osirian was needed.

"Hey, Eddie." Amber said, appearing out of no where as he opened the front door of the house. She had her arms crossed and a stern face that made Eddie frown.

"Amber." He answered, stepping into the house and standing in the entryway as she too slipped inside.

"Don't mess with Fabina." She told him ominously before turning on her heel and walking into the dining room.

Eddie shook his head, following her into the dining room where he sat beside Alfie who seemed to be the only one speaking to him in the group. Nina was no where to be found but for some reason he felt like if he acquired of her whereabouts someone-maybe the blonde- might loose it on him.

"Where's Nina?" Alfie asked, saving Eddie from having to ask for himself. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach about not knowing where she was. Slowly enough he was beginning to feel responsible for her and worried for her safety. That in and of itself was making him irritated at loosing a bit of his badass attitude to being the "Osirian."

Fabian bit his lip. "I don't know." He admitted and Eddie's heart accelerated.

_Find Nina!_ A voice hissed in his head and he shook it. He could tell it was just a creation of his own mind and he wondered if his father had completely killed his chances of normalcy by telling him. Maybe ignorance was bliss.

"I haven't seen her since French." Amber agreed, frowning a bit despite her attempt at an icy tone toward Eddie.

_Find Nina, you idiot!_ The voice screamed and Eddie gripped the glass of water in front of him, gulping it down. That voice wasn't real. Nina wasn't in danger. She was fine. He was fine. It was over.

"Yeah, Poppy, Jerome will be in here." Her voice flooded his ears and he quickly relaxed into his chair. Seconds later she was walking into the room, smiling at everyone as she sat in her seat between Fabian and Amber.

Jerome's little sister, Poppy, frowned. "Where is he?" She asked Nina but Nina only shrugged, glancing at Mara.

"Have you seen him?" Nina asked Mara and she shook her head.

Fabian coughed. "Last I saw him he was in his room." He answered, glancing at Patricia and Amber.

"Oh, okay." Poppy said before walking away.

Eddie turned to Patricia and smiled, glad his anxiety about Nina had been curbed. "You haven't been talking much, Yacker." He observed.

"Haven't I?" She asked, pushing her food around with her fork without looking at him.

_The Chosen One._ The voice hissed and Eddie sighed, standing up and leaving the room. He couldn't take the voices in his head and the voices around him so he went downstairs and sat down at his computer, put in his ear buds and turned out the world. Unfortunately he couldn't tune out the voice. It twirled in tune with the music. Her name was purred inside his head and it wouldn't stop.

_Nina._

**GUYS I HAVE HIT A WALL(symbolically speaking)…ideas are greatly appreciated. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi there! Three reviews -boom, booom, booom! Anyway, it was awesome. Thanks for your comments and I'm just glad I don't have to see Chad until NEXT WEEK. Spring Break, boo ya.**

**So…where shall I start?*ponders* More Fabina awkwardness? Patricia's freeze outs? Eddie's mad mind (which is fun to write, btw)? Poppy and Jerome, brother-sister lovin' (that didn't sound right…)? Jerome and Mara's date? Amber and Alfie's something?**

Mara was sitting in her room, studying for their French test. She was humming quietly, eyes intent on the page before her. Then she glanced up after hearing a noise from downstairs. Something caught her eye against the back wall of the room. They'd recently moved the dresser over a bit and now she could distinctively see something sticking out from behind it. She slipped off of the bed and walked over to move the dresser out so she could see what was behind it. As she pulled the dresser away she frowned, eyebrows pulling together. "What the…?" She mumbled when she came upon what seemed to be a small door. It was the color of dull, aged gold and it's hinges creaked as she went to open it.

"Mara?" Jerome asked as he opened the door to find her sitting on the floor in front of this mysterious door. "What are you doing?" He asked and she looked up, shaking her head.

"I just found it." She answered, looking at him with a nervous smile. "Want to see what it is?" She asked and he smirked, crouching down beside her.

"Such an adventurer, Jaffary." He answered with a chuckle, fingering the latch on the door. He quickly had it open and all they found was darkness. "It looks like some sort of shaft…" He mumbled with a little frown.

"Let's go in." Mara said, sensing a story. _Mysterious Tunnel in Anubis House_. The headline ran in her head and she grinned at him. "Come on!" She urged and he looked at her with a tilted head.

"You sure?" He asked and she nodded. He sighed. "I'll go in first." He stated before a devilish look crossed his face. "But in case something creepy down there tries to kill us…" He joked and she smirked.

Mara leaned forward and kissed him playfully before pushing him at the tunnel. "Go on, now, you chicken." She joked and he smirked, crawling into the tunnel.

"It's bloody dark in here." He mumbled, crawling into the darkness as Mara slipped in behind him. "Do you have a flashlight or anything?" He asked, looking back at her face which had been engulfed in the darkness of the tunnel.

"No, just go on so we can see where it leads." She answered and Jerome made a noise but continued through the blackness. They were silent for a long while before she swore she could hear voices. "Jerome, do you hear that?" She asked with a confused frown.

Jerome frowned, scrunching his eyes in the darkness. "I think so." He shuffled forward a few paces and then heard them more clearly. "Is that Nina?" He asked, frowning darkly as he glanced back at Mara, all the while shuffling in the darkness. While he wasn't paying attention he hit his head on what he thought was a the end of the tunnel in front of him. "I think we've hit the end, Mara." He told her and she sighed, reaching past him to touch the end of the tunnel.

"This can't be it…there must be something." She mumbled, feeling of the wall and frowning deeply. "Jerome, feel it." She muttered, running her fingers down the ridges of what she thought was the wall.

Jerome frowned, sliding his fingers along with hers. "It's…" He traced the outline and grinned. "That's not a wall." He said, sliding his nimble fingers into the tiny ridge between the actual wall of the tunnel and the blockage. "Ta da." He said with a grin but he quickly deflated. There was the tunnel wall underneath his fingertips, smooth and cold against his palm. "This is it. Come on and turn around so we can look at this." He mumbled and Mara nodding, turning in the limited space just as he heard Nina's voice again. "Mara, I think this is Nina's room." He mumbled, turning to follow her from the tunnel while dragging the somewhat heavy item with him.

"What are you suggesting? That there are tunnels connecting all the rooms in the house?" She asked as they approached the glowing light of her room.

Jerome shrugged. "Maybe but I heard her voice." He told her as she slipped into the muted silence of her room and he handed the thing to her.

She appraised it, raising her eyebrows. "I heard it too…" She mumbled, running her fingers down it. "What do you think it is?" She asked, flipping it over to find that it was engraved with Egyptian hieroglyphics and intricate patterns of gold.

"Something's missing." He muttered, looking at the smooth inside of what seemed to be a frame. "It looks like an empty frame." He said, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

Mara looked at him, biting her lip a bit. "You're right, I wonder what kind of picture it might've been." Her story turned out not to have much of a story. Just an empty picture frame.

"It's Egyptian which is weird." He commented, running his fingers through his hair with a chuckle. "Old Robert really had a thing for that stuff."

She glanced at him and he nodded, smiling a bit. "Yeah, he did. I wonder if the picture is somewhere in the house." She mused and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Maybe." He answered, plopping down on her bed and stretching. "Date's been fun." He joked and Mara paled, frowning at him.

"Oh, Jerome, I'm sorry." She answered, sitting down on the edge of the bed beside him. "I got so preoccupied I completely forgot. Want to go now?" She asked, reaching for his hands and smiling sweetly at him.

Jerome smirked before nodding. "Alright, but a picnic isn't much in the dark." He joked, standing and taking her hand to help her up. "I'm only kidding. It's still light out."

Mara smiled, blushing as she pushed the hair from her face. "We can watch the sun set." She answered with a smile before walking over to the picture frame and setting it on her bed. "Let's go." She told him, smiling at him.

He nodded, turning to the door. "Let's." He said, opening the door for her just as Patricia turned down the hall. "Williamson." He greeted and she nodded to him, not paying much attention as she hurried inside the room.

"Going somewhere, Mara?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at her roommate who just blushed, taking Jerome's arm.

"We're going for a picnic." Mara answered and Patricia smirked, plopping down on her bed.

"Lovely. Enjoy that." She answered, pulling her phone from her pocket at the feel of it vibrating in the pocket of her skirt. Once Mara and Jerome were halfway down the hallway, she flipped it open to see a picture of Eddie. She really wished he would stop calling. She tossed her phone down and glanced across the room at Mara's bed curiously. The gold caught her eye and held it so she stood, walking over to look down at it. Her eyes turned then to the golden door in the wall and she gasped, grabbing her phone. "_Sibuna meeting, now, my room. Notify the others_." She texted Nina as she looked down at the golden frame on Mara's bed.

She almost laughed at herself as she collapsed on the end of her bed. She thought it was over but it would never be over. Her boyfriend was the Osirian to her best friend's Chosen One. Her friends have been cursed by an evil Egyptian spirit and she may be gone but the truth was even though she was gone nothing would go back to normal. They were all changed by the games they'd been forced to play. The Mark might be gone but it's effects will burn on their skin and in their hearts forever.

**There is someone out there I'd like to thank. Sibuna4Life, you're awesome. She's the one that gave me the idea for the "picture frame." I never would have thought of that, there would never be a hook and the story would have been just a series of fluffy chapters (honestly…). But she's given this story a mystery and I love her for it. So, thank you very much and I hope you guys enjoyed it…you'll learn more soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Everytime I open a new word document I automatically change the font from Times New Roman to Century Gothic even though you guys don't see what font I use…I just "have to" change it.**

**Today was one of those magnificently beautiful (like how I made an adjective into an adverb to add emphasis? I DO!) mornings when I roll over, grab my ipod, check my email and BOOM. BIG BOOM. ten new emails (granted one was WOD, but anyways it added to the awesome!). Really, you guys are amazing.**

**I am beginning to think I take reviews too lightly. When I started publishing my first few fanfictions, I'd respond to every review I ever got. 1, 498 on my old account (HannahKayMellark, granted I wrote over fifty stories on this account, a lot of which were one shots that I myself weren't proud of but that's another storyy), 171 on my current account, and 19 on my co-writing account with my BFF (SamanaFanfics, one story which is a Percy Jackson and House of Anubis crossover. READ!). Overall, that is 1, 650 reviews. So, I've gotten lazy. I respond to those who stick out at me and I'm sorry for not being more like the young writer I once was. I love you ALL. (even if you don't review but that's bad…I'm going to stick the mark on your arm! JK. ) **

**Alright, enough of my jiber jabbering (is that how you spell that?). You're here for the story, not to hear me talk, yeah? LESS THAN THREE PEOPLES BUT THEY WON'T LET ME USE THAT!**

Nina was sitting on her bed with Fabian desperately trying to get him to talk to her. "Come on, Fabian, you've been acting strange all day. Something is wrong and there is no point in trying to hide it from me." She insisted just as her phone rang. She let out a long sigh, pulling it out and glancing at the screen. "We've got to go, but we need to talk about this, Fabian." She concluded, standing up and reaching for his hand.

Fabian nodded, taking her hand against all rational thought. Her hand in his soothed his worries and he let out a long breath. "Where are we going?" He asked as her fingers flew across the keypad of her phone. "Who are you texting?"

"We're going to Patricia's room and I was texting the others." Nina answered as she hurried to Patricia's open door. She was sitting on the edge of Mara's bed, looking down at something. "What are you looking at Patricia?" She asked, kneeling down beside Mara's bed and frowning at the frame.

"Some sort of Egyptian picture frame." She answered, scrunching up her face a bit. "It was on Mara's bed and I don't know where it came from but it smells like bad news. Did you notify the others?" She asked Nina, looking up at her before eyeing Fabian a bit. She desperately hoped Nina hadn't included Eddie in that list though he was very obviously a Sibuna now. She just wasn't ready to face him.

Nina nodded. "They are on their way."

Fabian ran his fingers down the frame, frowning in concentration. "These are hieroglyphics…the eye of Horus, like Nina's necklace." He pointed out, glancing up at Nina. "There's the symbol for life and death." He muttered, pointing to each of them in turn.

Patricia frowned. "Life and death? The eye of Horus? That's not much to go on." She muttered as the door opened and Alfie, Amber and Joy rushed in.

"Well, the eye of Horus represents protection." Nina added and Fabian looked at her for a moment.

"The eye is in between the symbols for life and death." He answered and Nina nodded.

"The eye, the protection, bridges the gap between life and death." She replied and Fabian's eyes sparkled. A new riddle, a new chance to fall in love with the beautiful girl in front of him. It would all be okay in the end.

The door opened and the illusion shattered. "What are you guys looking at?" Eddie asked and both Fabian and Patricia let out pained breaths.

Nina sighed, sinking to the floor and pulling the picture frame into her lap. Fabian and Amber quickly flanked her and Alfie sat beside Amber, crossing his legs in excitement. On the other side of Fabian was Joy who smiled at him reassuringly as Patricia plopped beside her. Eddie frowned, sitting in between Patricia and Alfie. Nina looked at every face before setting the frame in the middle of the circle. "Sibuna." She mumbled, raising her hand over her eye and looking to her right and left at her charter members.

"Another adventure!" Alfie said with a grin and Nina shrugged, taking Fabian and Amber's hands.

"Another adventure." She whispered before closing her eyes. When she opened her eyes she released Amber's hand and reached forward, touching the frame in front of her. "I don't even know where to start." She muttered and then the dull gold of the frame grew steadily brighter, shining like new. Her eyes snapped to the other side of the circle where Eddie had been tracing the patterns on the cold metal. She gasped as the temperature in the room dropped several degrees and an eerie voice encircled them, resounding throughout the room.

_"The Chosen One and her Osirian have come to call and now they have found the mirror that can save all. Pieces have broken from it's base now you must search and this time it's a race. Find the pieces by sunset of the twelfth day or the Chosen One will be taken away. The first piece will be found in the darkest place but you must make haste. Time is running out on that pretty girl's face." _

Nina shuddered out a breath and Fabian wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into a hug. "It'll be okay. We'll find it." He whispered, forgetting for a moment that Eddie was just across the circle.

Joy frowned, looking away from them. "What did it mean? The Chosen One and her Osirian?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at the others. It seemed like something you'd ask.

Patricia, Amber and Fabian's eyes shot to Eddie's face but he wasn't paying attention. His mind had gone on red alert as the voice's words replayed over and over in his mind. All he could think was no. She wouldn't die. He'd take care of her if it killed him.

Nina pulled away from Fabian, frowning. "What do you know?" she asked, eyeing him seriously. She'd been there during the conversation with Patricia about Eddie being the Osirian but she didn't like the expressions of disdain on her friend's faces.

Alfie frowned, glancing at Joy. "I feel so included." He joked and Joy nodded.

"Really, if we're going to do this together, if we're going to be in Sibuna, shouldn't we know all the facts?" Joy asked and Nina nodded.

"You can't withhold information that could mean their lives." She answered, standing up and turning around. "If anyone wants to back out now, you can still do so. I don't want anyone to be hurt for me again." She whispered, frowning deeply. "I'm going to bed…if you don't want this, just don't come tomorrow." Then she was gone and Fabian bit his lip, looking down at his now empty hand.

"Is anyone going to tell us what's going on?" Alfie asked, breaking the tense silence of Nina's absence.

Eddie sighed, standing up. "I am the Osirian and I will do nothing if not protect the Chosen One." He answered, leaving the room and turning down the hall.

Amber shook her head as the door opened and Mara came in, wearing a confused expression. "Let's go Fabian." She said, standing up and taking his arm, leading him from the room. "You need to talk to Nina." She announced, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the wall.

"And say what?" He asked, frowning down the hall at the closed door of Nina and Amber's room.

"Tell her you love her and you won't let anything happen to her. Let her know that you will take care of her just as much as her Osirian. Don't let her question how you feel about her." She gently pushed him toward the door. "Go on, Rutter. I'll be right here."

Fabian exhaled, turning to the door. He slowly walked to the door, placing his hand on the knob before looking back at Amber who nodded eagerly at him. He let out a breath before pushing the door open to reveal Nina standing in the middle of the room encircled in Eddie's arms.

**God, I love cliff hangers. Don't you?**

**ok, so… I sort of just watched harry potter and the deathly hallows part two the other night and modeled the "voice" after the scene where Voldy kind of took over their minds and told them to give up Harry. yea**

**I love how Nina, Joy and Alfie are the only ones who don't know about the Osirian bond**

**Ok, so I've got all the pairings lined up and the drama planned out and my new friend is helping me with the mystery so yay!**

**OMG. PLOT BUNNY! GOSHHHHH!**


	7. Chapter 7

**The test is in six days. I hope you're right.**

**Ok, so I'm slowly pulling all of Anubis house in on the mystery. Jerome and Mara are all that's left and they are getting there. yay.**

"I can't believe Nina is in danger again." Alfie mumbled the next morning at breakfast as he poked at his eggs.

Amber just shook her head, crossing hr arms with a frown. "I thought it was over." She mumbled and Patricia laughed humorlessly.

"Don't you see? It'll never be over." She answered with a smirk as she took a bite of her toast. "We've been marked and it'll never really end."

"Patricia if you don't want to be a part of this, then just say so. You don't have to be a Sibuna." Fabian snapped from his spot between Joy and Amber. He hadn't spoken at all that morning because frankly he'd hit the breaking point with Eddie and Nina. Yes, he loved Nina but his heart was heavy with the thought of Eddie holding her the night before. He couldn't stand it.

Patricia sighed, looking at Fabian. "I'm just saying. You think I'd just let Nina die?" She asked and Fabian shrugged.

"We all love Nina, you know that." Amber added, smiling at Fabian. "We're going to do this for her."

"Do what?" Mara asked, pushing the door open and stepping into the dining room with a raised eyebrow. She sat down after hooking her bag on the back of the chair and she sat, crossing her legs before looking up at the others who'd gone silent. "What?" She asked, frowning a bit.

Patricia shrugged. "Nothing." She answered, standing up to leave the room and walking down the hall. As she walked, she was looking down at the ground and she rammed straight into Eddie's chest.

"Yacker." He mumbled, exhaling loudly. "What's wrong with you?" He asked as she tried to pull away from him but he held her firmly to the spot.

She shook her head. "I can't be second, Eddie." She whispered, shaking her head as she pulled away, backing toward the door. "I just can't." Her voice was so quiet and not like Patricia.

Eddie watched as she slipped outside and his heart broke a bit at the look on her face. "Yacker." He muttered to the closed door. "You aren't second."

There was a cough from behind him and Amber appeared, frowning at him. "Fantastic. Peddie is gone now and Fabina is crumbling." She said, pouting and leaning against the wall.

"Peddie?" Eddie asked with a frown and she rolled her eyes.

"Patricia/Eddie, duh." She answered, turning to trot up the stairs.

"We aren't over!" He argued and she just laughed.

"Sounded like that to me." She answered before slipping down the girl's hall and into her and Nina's room. Nina was still in bed with her covers pulled over her head. Amber sighed, sitting on the edge of her bed and pulling the covers off of her hair. "Nina, come on." She said, frowning at her. "You need to go to school."

Nina shook her head. "No I don't." She argued, turning away from Amber and pulling the covers back over her head.

Amber sighed. "How about I stay out with you today? We can start thinking on that clue, yeah?" She asked and Nina sniffled, pulling up in bed to look at Amber.

"You're going to help me?" She asked and Amber laughed, hugging her best friend's shoulders.

"Nina, you are my best friend." She answered simply, smiling at her. "Now, what's wrong?" She asked her quietly.

Nina choked back a sob. "Everything." She answered under her breath.

"That's a bit of a broad spectrum, Nina." Amber answered, laughing.

Nina laughed along with her, leaning against the wall with a sigh. "For starters, Fabian." She answered, shaking her head and glancing at the wall of pictures across from them. Fabian was in so many of them. Candids from another life.

Amber smiled. "That I can help with." She answered, glancing at the door. "Fabian found somewhere on the internet that there is a great chance that the Osirian and the Chosen One will become romantically involved and it's gotten in his head. He doesn't know how to handle that." She laughed quietly. "Come on, Nina, he's a geek. He doesn't now how to keep you loving him so he's sort of acting like a git without even meaning to."

Nina laughed. "Oh, is that it?" She asked, looking at her with a little smile. "Is there anything I can do about that?" She mumbled almost under her breath.

"Just let him know you love him and try to avoid looking to cozy with old Eddie. It's driving him mad seeing you two together." Amber told her and Nina smiled.

"I can't believe all of this is happening." Nina mumbled and leaned her head against Amber's shoulder. "I feel like my friends are going to get hurt because of me." She whispered and Amber squeezed her hand gently.

"We'll be alright, Nina, don't worry." She answered, hugging her. "Now, lets think. The darkest place." She mused, looking around before turning to look at Nina. "Do you think it means in the house?"

Nina nodded, biting her lip and looking at her. "The tunnels." She answered.

"Nina, Amber?" Fabian's voice called from the other side of the door and Nina made a face, looking at Amber nervously.

"Talk to him." She told him, pushing her gently from the bed. "Just let him know how you feel."

Nina nodded, letting out a long breath and hopping off of the bed. She opened the door and smiled at Fabian sweetly. "Can we talk?" She asked and he nodded, stepping inside.

Amber stood up and excused herself. "I'll be in Patricia's room if you need me." She told them, waving as she slipped quietly from the room.

"Look Fabian I'm-" She began but Fabian cut her off.

"Nina I'm sorry." He told her, looking out the window. "I've been a git and I'm sorry." He turned to look at her.

Nina took a deep breath before stepping forward and hugging him. "It's okay but I want you to know that I really like you Fabian. Eddie may be the Osirian, but you're my geek." She joked, kissing his cheek. "So, we're going back down into the tunnels. Want to come with us?"

**plot bunny2…**

**not the longest chapter yet, but I think it's done. I'll post tomorrow morning I promise:D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Alright so it's almost ten o'clock at night and I've spent my evening making white chocolate brownies (JOY in the form of cake.), learning a crazy spastic Latin "Gloria" and "father William" and then enjoying my brownie! Now, I'm slightly hyper but I expect a crash soon. (Latin tires you.)**

**1. What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction**

**2. Glad You Came covered by Glee **

**3. Set Fire to Rain by Adele **

**(and over and over!)**

"Where have you been?" Patricia asked when Nina, Amber and Fabian appeared at the table for lunch. She was tactfully sitting as far away from Eddie, pushing the food on her plate around with her fork.

Nina glanced nervously at Mara and Jerome before turning to Patricia again. "I wasn't feeling well this morning so Amber stayed with me and Fabian came looking for us." She answered, hoping Patricia would get the picture.

Patricia nodded. "Feeling better?" She asked, eyeing her seriously. She knew they'd tested a theory. Her true question was "did you find it?" but she couldn't exactly say that so instead she looked at the three of them with a serious expression.

"Not much." Nina answered, looking down at the spaghetti on her plate.

_"Time is ticking boy." _

Eddie's ears perked up. He looked over at Joy who had been forced between himself and Patricia. "Did you hear that?" He asked and she made a face.

"What noise?" She asked, frowning at him like he was mental.

_"Don't forget the price you will pay if you fail. The girl's life hangs in the balance." _

"Eddie?" Nina's voice asked through his haze and his eyes dilated as he turned to her. "Are you alright?" She asked, biting her lip.

He shook his head. "Not really." He answered just as a thought crossed his mind. "The door." He mumbled, looking at Patricia with a frown.

"What door?" Amber asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mara frowned. "What are you guys talking about?" She asked, thinking of the door she'd found in her bedroom the day before.

"I wish I knew." Alfie complained, shaking his head.

Eddie stood up, walking out of the room and heading up the stairs to the girl's rooms. Nina frowned, following behind him and running into Patricia's room seconds after him. "The door." She mumbled, looking at him and then the golden door against the back wall. "It's made of gold just like the mirror." She whispered, walking forward to pry the door open.

He nodded, looking into the blackness revealed on the other side. "The darkest place." He shuddered, crawling inside. "Stay here." He told her before crawling off into the darkness. He reached the end of the tunnel and sighed before he heard the voices.

"Nina?" It was Amber's voice on the other side of the wall.

Eddie banged on the wall and mentally cursed himself because the gold wall was, well, hard. "Amber!" He yelled to her on the other side.

"Eddie?" She asked and he could almost imagine the disdainful look on her face. "Where are you?" She yelled back, causing him to chuckle.

He began to shuffle backwards and soon enough emerged beside Nina. "It's connecting the rooms. This one leads to your room, come on." He told her, grabbing her arm and dragging her to her room where he knelt down by the wall, pulling out the dresser to reveal an identical door.

Nina grinned at him. "I bet there's some in every room. We can divide and conquer. Each of us will take a room and check the tunnel."

Amber smiled despite the fact that she didn't like the buddy buddyness that seemed to be forming between Nina and Eddie. She'd leave it be until Nina was safe, but then they were going to have a little talk. "Great. Let's get the others. We should get it done while the others are at school."

Nina nodded. "I'll go." She said, turning to leave the room and hurry down the stairs with a glimmer of hope shimmering in her eyes. She emerged into the dining room and grinned at them. "Hey, um, Joy, Fabian, Alfie could you come here?" She asked, smiling at them.

Fabian nodded, hurrying to her side and soon the others joined them and they hurried upstairs.

Jerome smirked. "Talk about secret society." He muttered and Mara grinned. Her tunnel had turned out to be a dud, but a secret Anubis house society was gold.

"Let's sneak up there and listen." She suggested and Jerome put his hand over his mouth in mock shock.

"Mara Jaffary, I am rubbing off on you!" He agreed, grabbing her hand and leading her upstairs where they poised themselves artfully outside Nina and Amber's room.

"We think we've figured it out." Nina was saying in a hushed voice. "There are tunnels connecting all the rooms in the house and we think in one of those tunnels has the piece of the mirror in it. We've already looked in the girl's rooms by accident…anyway, I say we split up into two groups to go check the boys rooms."

Amber nodded. "Alright so I've already devised the groups." She announced, holding up a pink notebook for them to see. "Alfie, Patricia, and Joy will go check out Alfie and Jerome's room while Nina, Fabian, Eddie and I go check on Fabian and Eddie's room."

Nina smiled at them. "Divide and conquer." She said before holding up her hand, placing it over one of her eyes.

The others mimicked her movements. "Sibuna." They said and Jerome pulled her out of the doorway and down the hall into her room.

"What are you doing?" She asked and he chuckled.

"They were coming out." He answered before wrapping an arm tightly around her waist. "While we're here…" He prompted but she shook her head.

"If anything we need to get to class." She disagreed but he shook his head.

"I hardly get to kiss you." He complained, grinning wickedly at her.

Mara rolled her eyes, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss against his lips. She moved her hands to the nape of his neck, pulling him forward into the room before sitting down on the edge of the bed. "You don't, do you?" She asked, smirking against his lips.

"I don't!" He replied, breathing heavily. "When I do though, it's bloody brilliant." He answered and she smiled at him.

"Good." She kissed him again more deeply this time, wrapping her arms firmly around his neck and curling her fingers in his blonde hair. She smiled against his lips, loosing all thoughts of articles or class. All she could think of were his warm lips pressing against hers the way they do and how it drove her absolutely mad. She could kiss him all day and not get bored of it.

"Oh!" Patricia yelled, opening the door and quickly closing her eyes. "And on my bed!" She practically yelled and Mara blushed, pulling away and sitting up quickly from where she'd fallen down onto the covers. Jerome made an irritated noise in the back of his throat as Patricia grabbed her phone off the nightstand before hurrying down the hall.

Mara shook her head, standing up quickly. "We better head down to class." She told him and he let out a long breath, standing beside her. She ginned, taking his hand before kissing his cheek. "Cheer up, Jerome. We can always resume later."

About ten minutes later, Nina and the others emerged from Fabian and Eddie's room with glum faces. "I was sure that was it." Nina mumbled, shaking her head as they stepped into the entryway. Victor had just stepped out of his office so Eddie pulled her back, smirking a bit.

"Wanna get us caught?" He asked in her ear and she smirked before looking at the tense Fabian beside her and grabbing his hand.

Nina watched as Victor walked down the stairs and out the door and then turned to the others, eyes wide.

"Nina, what are you thinking?" Amber asked just as Alfie, Joy and Patricia ran up.

Nina looked at Fabian who wore his famous grin of understanding and then turned to Eddie who was staring up the stairs at Victor's office like it was some sort of finish line he just had to cross. "It's in Victor's office." She whispered before heading up the stairs. "The riddle wasn't being literal. His office is the dark place in the house that no one but him cares to go." She explained as she burst through his door, flanked by Fabian and Eddie.

Eddie's eyes zeroed in on a huge cabinet against the back wall and he rushed to it. "This is it."

Nina nodded. "I can feel it." She whispered, walking to his side as he made quick work of moving it out of the way. Sure enough there was a golden door against the back wall of Victor's office. In the top right hand corner there was an eye of Horus engraved into the smooth surface and Nina gasped, reaching into her shirt and pulling out her necklace which was now glowing red. She held her breath as she pressed the necklace into the imprint on the door and watched it snap open. Nina grinned. This wasn't a tunnel but just a compartment in the wall.

Eddie looked at her and reached for her hand. "Touch it." He whispered, eyes intent on the darkness.

Nina's fingers reached forward through the darkness to touch the back of the compartment and a fire ignited against the back wall, erupting and engulfing the room in light.

**This is one of those moments on House of Anubis when they cut to commercial when something critical happens and everyone is like "WHATT?" then it comes back and has the same thing it showed before and then expands. That last sentence will be the first sentense of the chapter…plus a little more;)**

**PS: It's eleven. wow.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! So, let me go ahead and let you know about my sort of schedule for the next week (it's spastic).**

**I go back to school Monday (end of spring break=sadness) so updates might not come every day. I'll try to write chapters at night and post them in the morning before school but jeez you never know how that'll work out! (I can't post from my computer because I don't have internet (the computer is so ancient that it can't pick up my family's wifi connection.) so that explains why I have to wait to update until I can get to the computer in my mom's room.:P) So I'll try to keep my updates fast. (did I mention that Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday I have musical practice until the end of April so I won't get home until at least 5?)**

**Wednesday I take that writing test which really doesn't have anything to do with you but I'm just putting out my schedule. **

**Thursday I'll be leaving home to head to the capital of my "lovely" state for All-State Honor Choir weekend. So…maybe the hotel will have wifi (in which case I plan on stock piling maybe two chapters if I can pull that off the night before and putting them in my document manager so I can just add them from my ipod while I'm there. We'll see. Just be patient cuz I'll be home Sunday afternoon for sure. (tentatively unless I ya know die in a car crash or something awful like that…)**

**I'm done rambling now.**

**Oh, and pardon for the crappy riddle this time:P I couldn't think of any rhyming words…oh and now you know my plot bunny…god I'm evil.**

Nina's fingers reached forward through the darkness to touch the back of the compartment and a fire ignited against the back wall, erupting and engulfing the room in light all of which was reflecting off of the severed piece of mirror.

"NINA!" Someone yelled from behind her but she didn't move. Eddie's hand tightened around her own, grounding her, and she counted the sound of his quiet breaths beside her as the fire spread around her fingertips.

"_A sacrificial lamb must be given to the gods before the next piece can be driven. The place to look cannot be seen with the eyes but read like a book but before it will be revealed one of love and one of short lived disdain must take their own life for the others. Only then will the next piece of the puzzle appear in the most obvious of places." _

Nina gasped, gripping Eddie's arm as the voice's words surrounded her and she shook her head. "No!" She yelled, wanting to lash out. The price was too high. She didn't want anyone to die for her.

"Did you hear that?" Someone asked from behind her but she couldn't place the voice. She couldn't think straight.

Eddie sighed, turning and leading her past the others. "Come on, Nina." He whispered, pulling her to her room where he sat her in bed. "It's okay." He mumbled but she shook her head.

"I don't want anyone to die for me." She argued, leaning against his shoulder and he wrapped an arm tight around her waist.

He didn't know what to say. She couldn't die. He couldn't let that happen but how could he allow two of them to give up their lives? He sighed, kissing her forehead gently. "I'm going to go." He whispered against her skin and she shook her head.

"Don't even think about it, Eddie." She argued, knowing what he was thinking.

He looked at her, tilting his head to the side. "Don't worry Nina." He told her, reaching down to pull her off the bed by her hand before pulling her into a tight hug. "It's going to be alright. We'll figure it out."

She shook her head. "Its not worth it, Eddie." She whispered into his chest. "I'm not worth it." She added quietly, tears prickling in the corners of her eyes.

He pulled away, looking at her seriously. "Nina Martin, you are worth it." He told her and she shook her head.

"I'm not. I'll die ten times over before my friends give up their lives for me." She told him, hiding her face in his chest and wondering how long she could stay hidden away in her Osirian's arms.

"Dinner!" Trudy called from downstairs and Eddie nodded her to the door. She shrugged, allowing him to tug her into the dining room.

The others where wearing tired expressions and glum faces. Nina's eyes scanned over the group and zeroed in on the empty chair beside her own. She turned to Amber, eyes wide. "Where is Fabian?" She hissed, looking utterly terrified.

Amber frowned. "I'm not sure…" She mumbled, biting her lip.

Nina turned from the room, heading straight for the stairs where she ran straight into Fabian's chest. She let out a long sigh, throwing her arms around his neck. "Never scare me like that again, Fabian Rutter." She told him, hugging him close.

Fabian bit his lips, wrapping her arms around her waist. "I love you, Nina." He whispered into her hair and Nina pulled away, fresh tears springing to her eyes.

"Fabian, no." She told him, shaking her head. "No, no, no." She repeated, holding him close to her. "I refuse to let you."

Fabian said nothing, moving to kiss her forehead. "Calm down Nina, I love you. It's okay."

"Stop saying that Fabian." She told him, gripping his hand firmly in hers. "I love you too much to let you justify killing yourself with the love of me."

Fabian sighed, wrapping his arm around her and leading her to the dining room. "Would you just calm down?" He asked before sitting down at the table, acting completely normal.

Nina knew the truth though and that scared her. She couldn't be with him every second. She couldn't keep him from doing something stupid every moment of every day. Though the other person in the riddle she needed to watch out for too and she hadn't even pieced together who that was. Who knew life at "Hogwarts" would be so hard?

**Purple Tacos (epic penname btw): I know you're probably wanting to stab me right now, but this has almost exhausted what I plan for Neddie…just a little bit more but let's not tallk about that**

**I know it's short. me sorry.**


	10. Chapter 10

**HEY! I Can't sleep and therefore here I am. I was actually planning on probably not updating tomorrow but thank insomnia (drastic, I know but it made me sound smart) for this chapter!**

**So, my phone says it's 11:43, my computer says it's 11:56, my ipod says it's 11:43, and my alarm clock says it's 3:36. What is the outlier of this figurative graph (gotta love chemistry/algebra. **

**ON WITH THE CHAPPY.**

Amber looked over at Alfie with a tired expression, crossing her arms as she plopped onto the couch in the reck room at school. He had started in about Amfie again and she honestly didn't feel like talking about it right at this moment. Three of her friend's lives are being threatened.

"Alfie, really!" Amber almost yelled, turning to glare at him. "Do you not realize that three of our friend's lives are hanging in the balance?" She hissed, frowning at him as he sat beside her.

"Amber, you know what Nina said." He argued, looking around them with a frown. This conversation would be very hard to explain to an outsider.

Amber exhaled loudly, turning to him. "What's your plan Alfie? Wait until the twelfth day and just see what happens?" She asked, eyes filled with pain. Like she'd said, Nina was her best friend. "I don't plan to let it go that far."

"Then what? You're going to kill yourself to save her? It's two people, Amber, and even if someone else did it, Nina would never forgive herself even if we found the other pieces in time." Alfie replied with a little smile because he sounded logical for a moment there. "This is only the second piece of the mirror, Amber, it'll only get harder." He argued, looking away from her sadly.

Amber's eyes welled up with tears. "I just don't know what to do." She whispered, looking away from him. "She's my best friend."

Alfie sighed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to pull her close. "I don't know what to do either, Amber."

Mara walked in the room with Poppy beside her but she stopped in her tracks at the sight of Amber and Alfie. "Amber, what's wrong?" She asked a frown pulling at the edges of her mouth.

Amber quickly sat up, wiping the fresh tears from her eyes. "Nothing's wrong." She lied quickly before standing and making a bee line for the bathroom where she sat her bag down in the sink, riffling for her makeup bag. She pulled out a tissue and wiped the excess mascara that had been smudged by her stupid tears. "Just smile."** (A/N: remember her notebook that said "just smile" from season one? I'd forgotten about it till I saw a fanvid this morning with it in it.****)** She told herself and smiled weakly at her reflection in the mirror before pulling out her mascara and reapplying it quickly.

"Amber?" Joy asked, walking into the bathroom with a sympathetic smile. "Need a hug?" She asked, holding out her arms**(A/N: I love hugs and I'm feeling the huggy thing tonight…I mean really!) **to Amber.

Amber sniffled a bit, nodding before rushing across the room into Joy's arms. It wasn't a time to dwell on the past. It was a time to move past it. They had to save Nina _and_ the others. Somehow. It had to be possible. She pulled back, smiling tearily at Joy. "Thanks, I needed that."

Joy smiled back at her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "That's what I'm hear for." She told her before glancing at her watch. "We better get to French." She said and Amber nodded, turning and grabbing her bag.

They walked down the hall silently and soon enough Amber was taking her seat beside Alfie, putting on a brave face and pulling up her big girl pants. It was time Millington figured out a solution and aided the cause more than giving boy advice. She almost laughed.

Mara looked at Amber and frowned, turning to Jerome. "Is it just me or is our house acting particularly moody lately?" She asked him, twirling her pen around her finger.

Jerome shrugged, smirking at her. "Aren't they always?" He asked, chuckling to himself. "I'm beginning to think they're all bipolar." **(A/N: what is my thing with disorders tonight?)**

Eddie reclined back into his chair, hands fiddling with the collar of his shirt. He was beginning to think he was loosing his edge but he'd have to live with it. He had a "greater importance in life" now. That's what Eric had said anyway. He'd live with it.

Patricia was sitting with Joy a few seats over, legs crossed and eyes intent on her notebook in front of her. She refused to look at Eddie. She just let her leg bob up and down and back again, channeling all of her energy into the quick, jerky movements **(A/N: I DO THAT… it helps with stress…)**

"Patricia!" Joy hissed her beside her, placing a hand on Patricia's arm. "Calm your leg down, you look spastic." She told her and Patricia just shook her head, pushing herself up from the desk along with her books.

Patricia quickly shuffled past Eddie before sitting beside Nina who was nervously drumming her fingers against the table. That'd be better to deal with than Joy ironically enough. Yeah, originally Patricia had hated Nina because she thought she'd done something to Joy, her best friend but now she and Nina were friends. Though she still loved Joy, she just didn't understand…_"…short lived disdain."_ The words hit her like a ton of bricks as Fabian rushed into the room just in time for the bell. He muttered apologies to Miss Valentine, frowning at his occupied seat before hurrying over to the empty seat beside Joy who gave him a little smile.

Class felt irrelevant to the Sibunas that day and they spent most of the class worrying or plotting their own deaths. As for the Chosen One, she sat with her notebook pulled close to her, trying to compose a letter for each of the ones she loved she'd leave behind. She wrote Amber's first because, well, she was easiest. A great friend, that Amber. She wrote a letter to Alfie about his goofie antics and a letter to Joy, forgiving her for everything she'd done in the past. She wrote a letter to Patricia, telling her to forgive Eddie. She even wrote a blurb to Eddie about how he'd been a great Osirian. Then came the hardest letter to write (she would write a letter to Gran but her death would be described as a surprise to those outside of Sibuna).

_Fabian, _

_I remember my first day at the house, Fabian. You were the only one who was even remotely nice to me. The others were preoccupied with Joy and wanted no part of me. But you, you were my friend from that first day. _

_Then you were brought in on the mystery of our lives and the secrets of that house. We grew closer and I fell for you because how could you not? Fabian, you're kind of adorable. Anyway, prom was perfect and then we were separated by the Atlantic ocean and I swear I fell for you even more._

_Breaking up was the stupidest thing we ever did. We lost so much time because of that stupid misunderstanding but there is no changing that now. We're back together and I want you to know that Eddie was never more than what he is, my Osirian. He is the guy the universe threw at me and you are the guy I found. I'd choose you over him in a million years. _

_So, that's really all I have to say. Don't hate me for letting the clock run out, remember the good times. Think of that night at prom or the thrill of figuring out another clue to the puzzle of mystery that always seemed to surround us. Think of the night we huddled in a cupboard, torturing Victor. Think of the time you lie beside me and we talked until we fell asleep. Think of the kisses, the laughs, the love. _

_Your "Chosen One," _

_Nina _

_PS: I love you_

I almost cried while writing that last part.

**OK! Well, happy shamrock day. it's my granny's b-day so idk if I'll be able to post anything more today…hope you enjoyed it! **

**Oh and a lot of you are asking me if it's a Fabina or a Neddie. It's a Fabina with a touch of Neddie. JUST A TOUCH. maybe a kiss. if so, just one. … omg. plot bunny. (I am getting so many of those lately. **

**OH! and idk what happened with all of the author notes tonight (I really shouldn't write so late at night)…sorrys…you know I don't do many of them. **

**You know what? CHADWICK MIGHt JUST HAVE A HEART ATTAAAKC IF HE READ THESE AUTHOR NOTES. they are so grammatically incorrect. GOD I LOVE SPITING THAT MAN! peace out, girl scout. (hahaha. for you, my new dragony friend.) **

**12:41…exactly an hour. go me.**


	11. Chapter 11

…**so…yeah. I totally curled and styled my hair to look like Nina's off of HOA to write this chapter. go me.**

Nina and Fabian walked hand in hand into Anubis house that night though he was quieter than normal. Nina didn't know what to think of his silence but she could pretty much guess. She was a dead girl walking and he was holding her hand. It had to be pretty hard for him, knowing what was going to happen.

Amber was beside Nina, chattering quietly about their chemistry test the next day. She was finding it easier to put all of the thoughts with any correlation to Sibuna out of her mind than face the truth of what was happening.

As they stepped through the threshold of the door, a shadow fell over them. Victor was standing in his trench coat, frowning at them. "Where have you been?" He asked and Nina raised an eyebrow at him.

"School." She answered before smiling. "Where have you been?"

Victor laughed, shaking his head. "Of chores, school." He walked out the door, passing them before turning to look back. "Miss Martin, Mister Rutter, Miss Millington…stay out of trouble." He told them and Nina's eyes prickled with tears. They were in over their heads with trouble.

"What was that about?" Amber asked, nodding at Victor's retreating figure. Nina shrugged, walking into the kitchen. "It was nice how he gave up the tears of gold to save Joy the other day." She commented, leaning against the counter as Nina poured herself a glass of water. "Maybe he's not all bad."

Nina nodded, looking down at the ground as she took a sip from her glass. She looked up at Amber, eyes perking up a bit. "You don't think he'd help do you?" She asked, eyes brightening with a quiet excitement.

"Nina, I don't know if including Victor in all of this would be a good idea." Amber hedged, biting her lip as she pushed away from the counter. "I mean we've done some things that we shouldn't have. For example, sneaking into his office and unveiling the secret compartment behind his filing cabinet."

Nina shook her head, looking over Amber's shoulder. "He knew we went down into the tunnels and he didn't do anything. Maybe he'd help or he'd know something we could do." She urged, fighting for the hope that there was something she could do. Action, she needed to move, do something. She needed to run to Victor and beg him for answers which he must know.

"Nina, I know you want to figure something out but Victor's not the answer. We have other options." Amber argued, sidestepping o grab Nina's arm. "Just take a moment to think." She pleaded.

Nina shook her head. "I've got to do this. I can't just sit around and wait to die." She hissed at Amber who released her sadly.

"Then go, Nina." She whispered, frowning deeply. She knew the feeling of needing to act but she also couldn't fathom going to Victor about their troubles. Once out of all the mysteries they'd been living in he had helped. It just wasn't logical, but then again, how could Nina be thinking logically at a time like this? Nina was gone then and Amber collapsed against the counter.

Nina was jogging through the night, approaching the library with a quickening pace. She felt her heart rate accelerating in her chest as her feet hit the ground rhythmically and she heaved loud breaths. She stuttered to a stop, letting out a breath before pushing the door open. "Victor?" She called through the dusty shelves of books, bobbing throughout the lower levels.

"Miss Martin?" He called from upstairs before he appeared hanging over the banister. "What _are_ you doing here?"

Nina caught her breath nervously crossing her arms over her chest. "We need help." She told him, biting the inside of her mouth but continuing despite the pain. "We're in trouble." She added and he frowned, walking down the stairs.

"What do you mean you're in trouble, Miss Martin?" He asked and she felt tears well up in her eyes.

"We didn't mean to find it." She whispered, shaking her head. "It just fell into our hands and if we don't put it back together I die. If I do, two of my friends die. I'm scared they are going to do something stupid, Victor." Her voice was feeble as she pictured the unthinkable. An overdosed Fabian or a hung Amber. The images terrified her, fresh tears springing to her eyes.

Victor shuffled to her side, nudging her to the door. "Let's walk back to the house, Miss Martin, you seem rather unstable."

Nina's eyes shimmered as she looked at him, eyes wide. "You don't believe me?" She asked, shaking her head.

"Nina, I believe what you're saying this just isn't the best place for this." He answered, watching her walk to the door with a sad expression. She pulled the door open and slipped outside into the growing night. She couldn't help remembering the first time she and Fabian walked to the library and a silent tear slipped down her cheek. "Now, Miss Martin what are you talking about? You didn't mean to find 'it?'"

Nina wrapped her arms around her torso, walking briskly in the cooling night air. "It was on Mara's bed. The golden frame which we thought used to hold a picture. There were tons of hieroglyphics and intricate patterns along the edges and a smooth base on the inside." She released a long breath. "Then the voice came to us and said it was a mirror we had to find the pieces to and fast. It said we had twelve days to finish the mirror or the Chosen One would be 'lost.'"

Victor frowned, opening the front door into the house and holding it for Nina. "I don't know anything about an Egyptian mirror but I'll research." He gave her a gentle smile. "You brought me my father's ring, Nina. I'll do whatever I can to protect you and your friends from whatever this is."

Nina smiled weakly at him, reaching out and hugging his stomach. "Thank you, Victor."

"Nina!" Amber's terrified voice screamed from downstairs and Nina jerked away from Victor, running for the voice.

"Amber?" She called, frowning deeply.

"Nina!" Amber sobbed back from Fabian and Eddie's room just as Nina rounded the corner an saw it. Her heart sank at the sight and her knees buckled. She sunk to the floor in the middle of the hallway, eyes intent on Fabian who was lying motionless on his bed. He was pale. He looked cold. Amber sobbed harder, shaking her head as Victor ran in to grip Fabian's shoulders.

"Oh, Rutter." He groaned, forcing Amber from the room before looking for a pulse.

Amber wrapped her arms around Nina, both of them sobbing uncontrollably as a crowd formed. When Victor turned around with a grim expression, everyone was assembled there…except Patricia.

"Where is Patricia?" Nina's choked voice gasped, searching the vigil more thoroughly. She wasn't there.

**I am an evil mistress. but I have my plans.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey…I wub you.**

**really? the best HOA story you've read? I'm honored! **

**(I made up her middle name… sounds cool though right?)**

**1. It Will Rain by Bruno Mars**

**2. Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen**

**3. Girl On Fire by Arshad (it's Peeta's song for the Hunger Games… amazing.)**

**4. Secret by people (the full Pretty little liars theme song…its creepie. look it up.:D)**

**(and over and over )**

A shuddered cry rang out from upstairs and Victor pushed past them all, rushing for the sound but the others couldn't move. Nina's heart broke as she leaned forward, sobbing at the sight of Fabian's fragile body. They'd done it now. It was stupid to die for her.

Eddie sighed. "Guys…I think we should go upstairs." He said imagining Nina having to watch them take him away. He shook his head. "Amber!" He hissed, glaring at her. "Take Nina upstairs."

Amber stood up, quickly gathering her composure and turning up the stairs while dragging Nina behind her. Alfie followed somberly and then both Jerome and Mara followed too. Mara looked sick. Jerome looked majorly confused. Chores, who would've thought Rutter would kill himself?

Eddie walked into the room, frowning at Fabian's body before noticing that Fabian's laptop was sitting on Eddie's bed. He turned to quickly cross the room, taking it in his arms along with the folder that was underneath it.

Then he quickly turned upstairs without looking at Fabian's body again. It was too weird. He trudged up the stairs one at a time, forcing himself from looking into Patricia's room. Nina's door was open and she was on her bed, shaking desperately while Amber held her close, fighting her own tears. Mara was sitting against the wall with her legs pulled to her chin, head in her knees with Jerome beside her, shaking his head. Alfie was leaning against a wall, head drooping a bit. Eddie shuffled over to Amber's bed, sitting down on the edge and looking at the laptop in his hands.

"I just don't understand. Why would Fabian do this?" Mara asked, looking up with a frown. She shuddered and Jerome slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her close in a Jerome like fashion.

Nina curled up with her pillow, hugging it closely to her chest. "I don't know." She whispered in a broken tone because she didn't know. She didn't understand why he'd done this to save her when she wasn't worth saving. She wasn't worth dying for! She was just Nina Nichol Martin, the American, the Chosen One.

"Because he loved Nina!" Amber blurted out and Alfie, Nina and Eddie shot her a look. Amber's expression darkened, recalculating her statement. "He loved Nina and he was under the impression that he was only in the way of her and Eddie." She thought for a moment before adding, "I guess that was what happened with Patricia too."

Nina's eyes scrunched up as she pulled the pillow closer to her body. She avoided Eddie's eyes and focused away from him at the door. Her breathing slowly steadied as did her tears. They raced down her cheeks leaving hot lines down her cheek and making Eddie cringe. Something other than his Osirian bond made his stomach clench at the sight.

Mara frowned. "Nina and Eddie?" She asked, making a face. She glanced from Nina to Eddie and back several times before shaking her head. She couldn't picture it but Nina and Fabian had been so close together for so long it was kind of ingrained in her brain. She couldn't see Nina with anyone else. Unlike Amber who she'd seen date both Mick and Alfie along with others of less importance, Nina seemed steadfast in her love for Fabian.

"Neddie." Amber proclaimed and both Nina and Eddie shot her a look. Amber stuck her tongue out at them. She was just saying. Everyone in the house could have a name. She liked naming people! She was just saying. Though Nina's boyfriend had just killed himself to save her from dying, but still. She was just saying!

"There is no Neddie." Eddie and Nina answered in their identical accents. Their words bounced around in the silence, consuming the airwaves. There was no Neddie. They may have been tied together by some sort of insane Egyptian mythology but there was no Neddie.

Jerome smirked into the silence. "Really, then why are Rutter and Williamson dead?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at them. "Seems like a kind of perfect match there."

Nina dropped her head to her knees and Mara sighed. "That was not helpful, Jerome." She mumbled, standing up and taking his hand. "Lets go." She mumbled, pulling him from the room and nodding at the others as they smiled in silent gratitude.

The room was silent for a pause before it happened. The voice was there again, speaking so clearly to them. "_Very good children now look to your left, then look to your right and just to the side. You will find the piece where things like to hide._" It hissed and with heavy hearts, each of them did as they were told. Nina didn't move but in a few moments, Amber had found the next piece to the mirror under Nina's bed. "_Don't look so glum, you're almost done. Just three more pieces and you'll all be free. Now turn to the sun and look through the cracks to find the next piece but don't forget to watch out for your time. Days are slipping by now and the Chosen One won't be spared although if you finish this task you will be given what you want most._"

Silence dropped over the room like a cloak and Nina glanced at Eddie, spotting the laptop beside him. She frowned. "Why do you have Fabian's laptop?" She asked, sitting up and looking at him intently.

"It was on my bed." He answered, picking it up. "I'd forgotten about it actually…" He mumbled, opening it in the muted silence. All he could hear was their breathing as he looked at the screen, eyes scanning over the words. "Nina, Amber, come here." He muttered under his breath, scrolling down the page. He couldn't believe it. His heart was racing.

Nina slipped out of bed and hurried to his side, looking over his shoulder. It felt wrong because she'd spent so much time in this position with Fabian, but this was no time to dispute it. Amber slipped on Eddie's side and frowned over at him to look at Nina. "This feels wrong." She stated, shaking her head before reading quietly.

"And Alfie, I'm sure." Alfie mumbled, walking over.

Nina's eyes widened. "The mirror of Isis was said to be able to bring people back to life." She whispered under her breath and looked at Eddie. "They knew." She told him.

He nodded, handing her the note he'd found stuck inside the laptop. "I didn't open it." He added and Nina nodded, unfolding it.

_By the way, I love you._ Nina shook her head, refolding the little scrap of paper and setting it beside her. "What's that notebook?" She asked, reaching over him to pick it up.

"Don't know. It was under the laptop." He answered, still looking at the laptop.

Nina opened the notebook and smiled. It was all Fabian's geeky research he'd done for the various mysteries they'd solved. He'd left it for them. Aw. Tears stung in her eyes and Eddie wrapped an arm around her face.

"You okay?" He asked and she shrugged. No, no she wasn't.

**I want Eddie to give Nina a nickname. Suggestions? **


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey! Sorry you didn't get an update yesterday, loves, but here is me making excuses. It was freaking A-Day! I had to find out who A was! But they lied to us and now I'm irritated.**

**I just worked my way half through my algebra homework and half studied for the map on the middle east (that I got today and must test on tomorrow cuz I'm going to be out when the test is and there is no other options) just for you… just btw, if I fail, I blame you! Just kidding, but really.**

**ANNNNYWAY. I know you guys don't see where I'm going with this, the Neddie irritates you and you don't get the reactions from the different characters but I'll touch on that in this chapter. So, just trust me that I have a plan? I've got it all worked out. SO CHILL.**

**OH I FORGOT TO TELL YOU MY antidote about CHAD **

_**I walked down the hall with my best friend at my side, smiling and laughing. When we got to my classroom with Chad standing outside just looking at us like we were dumb as we hugged like nuts. "Give me strength!" I told her as she turned to walk away.**_

_**Chad frowned. "Strength for what? We just got back from spring break." **_

_**I just smirked and went in. He could be really thick sometimes. Its oh so obvious we aren't friends, Chad and I. In fact, I've compared leaving the security of my Lori to go to his class to "being sent to the hell hounds" (PJO reference)**_

Amber was in the living room with Nina, running her finger's down the slick cover of her magazine with a frown. "I can't even concentrate." She huffed, leaning back against the couch and crossing her legs. "It doesn't feel much better knowing we can get them back." She almost whispered, glancing at Nina as she brought up the unthinkable. The mysterious Anubis house deaths had become a bit of a taboo.

Nina was wearing a pair of worn, faded jeans and a black sweatshirt which she had wrapped around herself as if she could hide from the world and the problems that surrounded her. She didn't look up from where she was staring at the carpet to answer. "I know how you feel." Her voice was feeble and as she tilted her head up to look at Amber, there were long, wet lines down her cheeks. "I can't believe he did this." She whispered before standing up and walking from the room.

Amber sighed, dropping her magazine and looking at the clock. She hadn't seen Alfie all day, he'd ditched breakfast and their classes. She stood up and walked down to Alfie's room, knocking quietly but there was no response. She gently pushed the door open and she almost gasped when she saw Alfie lying curled up in the center of his bed. He was shaking and there were big tears at the corner of his eyes. "Alfie!" Amber almost yelled, running over to him. "Oh, Alfie." She said and he shook his head, pulling the covers around him and balling up so he didn't have to see her. "Alfie." She whispered sadly, pulling the covers over his head. "Talk to me." Her words were like velvet as she looked down at his broken face.

"I saw Fabian take the pills from the cabinet." He told her quietly, shaking his head. "I saw him and I didn't do anything. It's my fault. It all crashed down on me this morning." He mumbled, still fighting with the covers but Amber remained adamant.

She shook her head. "Alfie, it wasn't your fault and we're going to save them. It's going to be alright, I promise Alfie. We'll figure it out." She promised but only feebly. She knew the odds. Time was running out and the Sibunas were all shaken and off guard. Only Nina, Eddie, Joy, Alfie and herself remained. None of them were really functioning productively anymore. Their brains weren't working right and they couldn't stand to be in one room too long. Everywhere they looked was something that reminded them of what they'd lost.

"Not without Fabian." He argued. "He was the brains of the group. I should've done it, I don't add anything to Sibuna." He mumbled, flipping over so he was facing the wall.

Amber growled to herself. "That's it, Alfred." She told him, standing up. "The pity party is over. You can be quite brilliant if you just think, Alfie. So use your head. It's time to work on this or we won't get them back _and_ we'll loose Nina. Put on your big boy pants and help me get the Chosen One up and going. I can't do it on my own!" She yelled and he frowned at the wall, not moving. "Alfie!" She sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed, pulling his shoulders forward so he was sitting and placing a searing kiss on his lips. "Snap out of it! I need your help." She whispered against his lips as he blinked, looking at her.

Alfie frowned at her, eyes wide. "I know this really isn't the best time, but are we back together?" He asked her, eyes flashing down at her hand on the side of his bed.

Amber smirked just a bit, leaning forward to kiss Alfie's forehead. "We're back together so will you come help me snap Nina out of this funk?" Alfie nodded so she grinned, pulling him up. "First, shower please." She told him with a little laugh and he chuckled. "Then come find me." She told him with a little wink before bouncing to the door. "I have a plan."

Alfie nodded, walking to the bathroom where he ran into Jerome who was looking at his reflection in the mirror. His cheeks were hollow and there were dark circles under his eyes. "You okay, Jerome?" Alfie asked, patting him on the back.

Jerome didn't respond at first almost as if he didn't realize Alfie was there. Then he turned his face away, heading from the bathroom. "I'm fine." He lied, leaving the room without another word. Jerome didn't get emotional. He never cried. He refused to let anyone see him weak. Not even Alfie. He stepped into the kitchen and inwardly cringed, finding Amber standing in the middle of the kitchen, mixing something in a bowl. "Millington." He greeted, turning to grab an apple. "What are you making?" He asked, casually leaning against the counter.

Amber rolled her eyes, pulling out a cookie sheet. "I'm baking cookies for Nina." She answered simply, taking a spoon and with uncanny precision dipping three rows of six cookies onto the pan before sliding it into the oven.

"You think that'll make it better?" He asked, almost amused as he turned to look at Amber with a raised eyebrow.

Amber sighed, glaring at Jerome. "It won't make it better but I've got to thaw her out somehow." She answered, leaning against the counter and folding her arms over her white blouse. "She's barely spoken."

He nodded. "I guess." He answered, leaning against the counter again. "If I wanted to thaw her out, I'd set her up with Mr. Sweet Jr."

She made a face. "Jerome, don't you have someone else to bother?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Where's Mara?"

He threw the apple in the air, catching it as it soared back down to him. "She went up to the school to work on an article for the Jackle with Joy. They both wanted something else to think about." He chuckled. "I suggested I take their mind off of it and they both slapped me so I took it was a bad time."

She rolled her eyes. "Really, Jerome?" She asked just as Alfie walked into the room wearing a fresh pair of jeans and a clean blue tee shirt. "Come on, Alfie, let's go cheer up Nina." She said, crossing the room to take his hand, leading him upstairs.

"What was going on with Jerome?" Alfie asked her, frowning a little bit as they stepped onto the landing of the girl's floor.

"Jerome was just being an idiot." She answered simply, heading straight for her and Nina's door and flinging it open. "Alright, little miss Chosen One! No more pity partying, it's time to rock this mystery." She announced before her eyes zeroed in one Nina's bed. She was lying in the center with her arms draped over her Osiran's chest, holding him in a tight hug. His arms curled protectively around her body as he looked up at them with a frown. Amber huffed. "Okay. That's it."

**Oh the wrath of Amber. I wouldn't want to be on the other end of that!**

**So, here we are with things: Nina is a mess and so is Eddie (you don't know much on this yet but I'll elaborate on him next chapter(I am HOPING I will be able to update again tomorrow. we have a half day at school.)). Mara and Joy are throwing themselves at working on the Jackle in order to keep it off of their mind. Jerome is trying to force all of his emotions away (pretty soon the boy is going to spontaneously combust). Alfie was in shock last chapter, had a meltdown and now Amber has pulled him up out of his funk. Amber is taking a leadership roll because she seems to be the only one thinking straight. She is also keeping her mind off of the fact that Fabian and Patricia's beds are empty at night by getting people well, healing them and pushing forward with the mystery so they can fill those very beds again. *long sigh* Happy?**

**WARNING: Next chapter will include an in depth Osirian/Chosen One talk and the thing a lot of you shudder at the thought of…the kiss. It's only at the hands of the crazy blonde though. *hintyhinthint!***

**Wish me luck with Chad.**

**Happy Hunger Games ( go see the movie Friday:D BUT I SWEAR IF YOU REVIEW TELLING ME HOW AWESOME IT WAS I'LL TAKE DOWN THE STORY OR JUST PLAIN NEVER FINISH IT…OK, NOTHING THAT EXTREME BUT I WON'T BE A HAPPY WRITER AND I'LL DO SOMETHING TO YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTERS LIKE MAKE NEDDIE PERMINANT. SOMETHING EVIL LIKE THAT.) anyway I'm going to bed now! **


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay, just got home from my 60% day(isn't that stupid?) and now I'm finding out that my fanfiction emails are seriously jacked up. I just NOW got the emails for chapter 12. :P (I'd read them on the thingy.) anyway, it's irritating me. :P**

**Comments on the for reviews for the last chapter (13): Amazing? I wouldn't have thought, but glad you liked it! Lol? I know I'm funny! Yes. Yes I do. I take my Hunger Games very seriously. I was going to go with my bookclub but my friend wants to go at ten at night so yea…:P AND I HAVE NO COMMENT ON THAT AT THIS TIME ONLY BECAUSE…I don't wanna spoil the surprise **

**So, I'm going to go ahead and write the chappy now! (I'm backing it up a bit to where Nina was walking out of the room**

**oh, and I like libby! **

Nina walked down the hallway, arms wrapped around herself in attempt to hide from the world. She just wanted to get away from everything and everyone. Amber wouldn't stop talking and the rest of them just gave her these looks of sympathy she hated more than being alone. So, she trudged up the stairs, hands running along the railing as she went. She stepped onto the landing and spotted Eddie who had just turned away from her door.  
>"Nina." He mumbled, frowning as she approached. "I was looking for you." He admitted, crossing his arms and leaning against the door.<p>

Nina stopped in front of him, reaching for the door knob. "You found me." She answered without much enthusiasm. "Why exactly were you looking for me?" She asked, looking up at him with tired eyes.

Eddie exhaled, looking over her shoulder. "I just wanted to check on you." He answered, moving from in front of the door so she could open it. "How are you?" He asked, looking at her and shaking his head. "Stupid question." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Can I come in?" He asked her and she shrugged, stepping into the room. Eddie followed her, closing the door behind him.

Nina sat down on her bed, hugging a pillow. "I guess you're the only one who knows how I feel." She mumbled quietly and he shrugged, sitting beside her. "No, really. You and Patricia were…" She made a face, turning to look at him. "You loved her."

Eddie smirked, crossing his arms. "I wouldn't say I loved her." He answered, looking at her with an interested expression.

Nina pushed his shoulder, causing him to fall back onto the bed with an irritated smirk. "Translated: I hadn't let myself accept the fact that I was in love with her until she died." She answered.

Eddie rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Libby." He responded, shifting onto his side so he could look up at her.

"Libby?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Eddie smirked, pulling her down onto the bed beside him and wrapping his arms firmly around her waist. "Yes, my little reminder of home. Lady liberty. Libby." He told her, hugging her close before letting out a long breath. "I like having you close." He admitted, looking down at her. Nina was frowning up at him so he decided he better elaborate. "There is this voice in the back of my mind that is always reminding me of the time we have left and that I need to protect you. This is the first time it's shut up since we found out." He told her with a chuckle.

Nina laughed, hiding her face in his chest. "Well I'm glad to give you a moment of peace." She mumbled, smiling a little bit.

The door flung open and Amber's voice boomed into the room. "Alright, little miss Chosen One! No more pity partying, it's time to rock this mystery." She announced before appraising their position and huffing out a long breath. "Okay. That's it!" She announced, throwing her hands up in the air almost as if in surrender.

Nina pulled away, sitting on the edge of the bed with a sigh. "Amber, calm down." She said but Amber shook her head.

"No, no, no, Nina. That's it." She answered, thinking for a moment before eyeing Nina and then Eddie before turning to glance at Alfie who was standing behind her in the hall, looking in. "We are going to check this out once and for all." She announced.

Eddie smirked, flopping his legs off the bed and looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "What does that mean, Blondie?" He asked her, glancing at Nina.

"The cookies are burning!" Jerome yelled from downstairs.

Amber made a face. "Don't move." She told them before turning on her heel to walk downstairs with Alfie on her tail.

Eddie looked at Nina seriously. "I say we jump out the window." He joked.

Nina smiled weakly at him. "Let's." She answered before laughing a bit. "Think the Osirian bond will keep us from dying?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

He chuckled. "Dunno. We won't know till we try." He told her, taking her hand and standing up just as the door opened. He inwardly groaned. That couldn't look good for the Spartan goddess Amber.

Amber nearly dropped the plate of slightly burnt chocolate chip cookies on the floor. "Alright." She answered, setting the plate on her bed before turning to them. "Kiss." The word hang in the air for a long moment before either of them processed it enough to try to respond but Amber held up a finger. "I'm tired of wondering when this whole thing will blow up so kiss and get it over with. Kiss and then either you guys will be together or we can stop thinking about it. Just kiss for heaven's sake and then we can move on with saving our lives."

Eddie frowned, glancing at Nina's expression from the corner of his eye before looking at Amber again. "That's insane, Amber." He told her.

Amber glared at him. "Actually it's brilliant." She answered, crossing her arms and sitting on the edge of her bed, crossing her legs. "Either sparks will fly or it'll be like kissing a frog."

Nina let out a long sigh. "Amber, this isn't right." She argued.

"The whole house is thinking something is going on with you two or something is going to be going on with you too. Don't you want to prove them wrong?" Amber probed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Eddie sighed, turning to Nina. "She's not going to give up." He mumbled almost under his breath.

Amber smirked. "I can hear you!" She yelled, tapping her foot. "Time is ticking. Ten days and counting." She added.

Eddie cringed as the ticking of a giant clock seemed to root itself in his head. "Nina?" He asked, frowning a little as she turned to him.

"Just do it." She told him quietly.

He let out a long breath, nodding as he placed his hands on either side of her face. "Alright, Libby." He whispered just before he pressed his lips against hers. He could vaguely hear Amber making a cynical comment about her nickname but he just kissed Nina, concentrating on moving his lips gently against hers.

"Well?" Amber's voice yelled and they jerked apart, looking at each other closely.

**Hmp. Good place to stop. I think so. (god I love cliff hangers!)**

**oh and btw i have that writing test tomorrow:( um, i might update again tonight...maybe...**


	15. Chapter 15

**I am so tired. I just got home from choir practice where they worked me like a trained dog. **

**ready for my excuse on not updating yesterday? I was depressed about the writing test (which I took today:P) and I collapsed into bed without even doing my homework ( I count this as homework sometimes cuz I feel the deadline looming over me!). but really, you peoples (no offense) haven't been too nice to me lately so really. I'm just nice so I'm not going to leave you on a cliffhanger before my big trip away from a computer for four days.**

* * *

><p><strong>um, ok. so…this is the longest wait you've had yet no? well, I've had the most AMAZING weekend at All-State, got me a pretty tee shirt and a cute plaque and I am feeling amazingly inspired by the beauty of spring time in my capital and the freeness I felt from being AWAY…so here I go. fast typyyyy. (I want to update TONIGHT.)<strong>

Eddie pulled away after a few seconds and Nina bit her lip, looking at him. He smirked, cocking his eyebrows to the side a bit before turning to Amber. "Nothing. Now will you calm down?" He asked, plopping down on the edge of Nina's bed.

Amber sighed, turning her head to Nina. "And you?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Nina shook her head. "I love Fabian." She told Amber who nodded and stood up before hurrying over to wrap Nina in a firm hug.

"That's why we have to dry our eyes and just move. We have to beat the clock or we'll never get them back _and_ we'll loose you." Amber told her, letting go to look at her disheveled appearance. "Alright, now, I'm going to go get my cookies and we shall discuss a plan of action, yeah?"

Nina nodded so Amber turned on her heal, skipping down the hall obviously was satisfied with this new test. Nina plopped down beside Eddie who wrapped an arm around her waist. "You better watch it." She mumbled, leaning her head against his shoulder anyway.

Eddie chuckled. "She's satisfied." He answered before swallowing hard. "You were right before." He managed but Nina raised her head in incomprehension. She was surprised to find him near tears. "I love Patricia." His voice was merely a whisper in the room breaking the silence.

Nina nodded, leaning her head against his shoulder again. "I know. We'll get them back." Nina could barely say it though. There were eight days left in their little game. It didn't seem plausible that they'd find the rest of the pieces by the time their time was up. She said it anyway though. Her Osirian was upset and she couldn't let that happen. She felt compelled to make him feel better by whatever means was necessary. It seemed their cosmic connection ran even deeper than either of them had realized.

Amber walked in the room with a plate of cookies, sitting down beside Nina and setting the plate in her lap. "You two ready to solve a mystery?" She asked with a half smile. "Alfie! You coming or not?" She yelled downstairs and Alfie promptly ran up the stairs and landed with a bounce on their floor, grabbing several cookies. Amber rolled her eyes, turning to Nina who was currently nibbling on the edge of a cookie. "What was the riddle again?"

"Now turn to the sun and look through the cracks." Eddie recited in a voice that was eerily similar to the other voice. His face was a mask of complete blankness for a fraction of a second before he cracked a smile at Alfie who was frowning in a way that suggested he was considering Eddie as the cause of their problems. "That doesn't sound right. Turn to the sun and look through the cracks. What could that mean?" He asked, turning to look at Nina and Amber.

Nina looked over Alfie's shoulder unseeingly, biting her lip. "The sun." She mumbled, turning to glance at Amber. "The sun." She muttered, throwing the cookie back on the plate.

"The window in the attic?" Amber asked and Nina nodded eagerly. "But Victor moved it." She told Nina, face falling a bit.

Nina didn't miss a beat. "He moved it to the library." She answered, setting down the plate of cookies. "He moved it to the library." She repeated, turning to the door.

"We can't all leave now. Victor has the place on high surveillance." Amber informed Nina who just shook her head.

Eddie sighed, standing up. "I'll go with you." He quickly walked over to Nina, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. "You guys stay here and hold the fort."

Amber nodded, picking up the plate of cookies. "Alright. Don't be too long." She called after them before turning to Alfie who was still munching on the cookies.

"What do we do now?" He asked with his mouth open and she smirked, standing up.

"We act natural." She answered, holding out a hand for Alfie to take. "Now lets head downstairs and see what's going on with the others." She told him as he took her hand. She led him downstairs into the living room and discovered that Mara and Joy were back. Mara was sitting on the couch beside Jerome but was talking to Joy who was sitting across from them with her laptop in her lap. "What's up guys?" Amber asked them, sitting down on the other end of the couch with Mara and Jerome before patting the seat beside her so Alfie would join her.

Mara squirreled up her face in mild confusion before responding with a little frown. "I just changed my status online." She told Amber who nodded.

"Have you changed yours, Amber?" Joy almost taunted from across the room.

Amber smirked at her. "Oh, Joy, you're such a joy to have around!" She joked, leaning against Alfie. "What might you be doing?" She asked Joy who simply shrugged.

"I'm only reading the hilarious comments from Mick." Joy answered with a little grin. "The boy's English teacher has worked miracles for him." She added with a little smirk before scanning over the page. "'Great, just great,' 'really, must this be advertised?,' 'I smell disaster,' and-this is the kicker folks!- 'I thought those pictures were just a ploy to make me jealous but I guess I was wrong. Have fun with Jerome, Mara. I just don't see what you see in him.'" Joy smirked at the screen, clicking off before snapping the laptop closed. "He's really hung up on you, Mara, you've done well."

Mara frowned, eyebrows knitting together. "I didn't mean for it to happen like this. We were just trying long distance. It was only a matter of time before he found someone better or at least closer. I never meant to fall for Jerome I just did and…"

Jerome put a hand over her lips. "Calm down." He whispered into her ear. "You're scaring the children." He joked, nodding at the others who rolled their eyes in unison. "Now, we all know I'm irresistible so it's alright." He chuckled, kissing her hair. "Mick'll get over it."

Amber nodded. "Really, chances are he is finding some rebound right now. I hear those Australians are pretty fast too." She told them, nodding as she looked at them seriously. She felt more relaxed as she fell back into the easy going manner that is Amber. She could gossip a little bit and laugh with her friends. For a moment everything was alright. Two of her close friends weren't dead. Another close friend wasn't hanging in the balance. She was the old Amber from before the mystery and seriousness. It felt nice to be weightless for a moment.

Joy choked out a laugh. "How could you possibly hear that?" She asked, leaning back into her chair and pulling her legs under her body.

"I know people." Amber answered, grinning as she turned to smile at Alfie. She thought for a moment before leaning forward to press a long kiss to his lips, kissing him gently before wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him close. "Joy can I borrow your laptop?" She asked, smiling gently at Alfie.

Joy nodded, handing it over with a smirk. "Changing your status?"

"I just might be." Amber answered, kissing Alfie's cheek before quickly logging in and doing just that. She noticed with a little satisfaction at the fact that Mick was online. Seconds later the notification popped on her screen. "'What's in the water at Anubis house?'" She read with a little laugh before glancing at Mara. "The boy has a point." She told Mara before cuddling into Alfie's arm and turning to Joy. "We need to find you a boyfriend." She stated plainly.

Just then Victor came in with a frown creasing his face. "Where is Mrs. Martin?" He asked, looking over the group. "And Mr. Sweet?" He added and Amber could hear the front door closing a few seconds later. "We have a bit of a sensitive situation here." He said before the boy walked in.

**hmp. I love me. REVIEW, loves. I am GOING TO update before I go to school tomorrow…if I have to stay up till midnight (btw: the hotel didn't have wifi:P)**


	16. Chapter 16

**hi…**

"I can't believe it isn't here." Nina commented as they walked back toward the house. It'd been an hour since they arrived at the library and after searching every inch of the library she was becoming a bit depressed. She had so many memories with Fabian in that library.

Eddie sighed. "I know. I thought that one was going to be easy." He commented, wrapping an arm around her. "We'll find it though."

Nina nodded, letting out a long sigh. "I know. It's just so hard." She whispered and he nodded, stopping in the middle of the road to give her a hug.

"I know it its, Libby." He answered, kissing her hair. "I'll take care of it though. Don't worry." He promised her, rocking back and forth a little bit. "Soon they'll be back and we can fix things."

Nina laughed quietly, leaning her head against his chest. "There won't be much of this when they get back though." She told him with a humorless shake of the head. "We know it doesn't mean anything but they wouldn't believe it."

He nodded, pulling away but keeping her hand. "I know. It just feels so much better when I can be close to you." He admitted, looking away from her. "Not romantically but when I hold you I can settle down because you're right there in my grasp and nothing can happen to you."

She smiled a little bit, nodding. "I know how you feel." She whispered almost under her breath. He stopped walking and looked at her, raising an eyebrow. She sighed, looking down at their intertwined hands. "I am beginning to feel it too…the Osirian bond. I am beginning to feel it. I want to protect you too."

He smiled a bit, throwing an arm playfully around her neck and steering her toward the house. "Awesome. We'll keep each other alive. How does that sound?"

She grinned. "Sounds perfect." She answered as he opened the door for her. "Thanks." She said as she slipped inside, taking his hand in hers once again.

"This is Josh Stevenson. He'll be rooming with Mr. Sweet." Victor announced but the room was silent. They were replacing Fabian. How could they even think of it? Nina walked into the room with a broken expression and Victor coughed uncomfortably. "I'll just be going then."

He was standing in the middle of the room, waving at everyone with a good natured smile that made Nina's heart break. Only because she instantly knew she couldn't hate him. He was tall with dark brown hair and pensive looking hazel eyes. He was wearing dark wash jeans and a black tee shirt that clung to a muscled chest. Most importantly was the fact that in his hand was a rolling suitcase. He was the replacement.

Nina shook her head, turning from the room as tears formed in her eyes. Amber stood up, rushing after him as Eddie hurried to her side. Nina just shook her head at Amber who felt pained tears sting in her eyes as Eddie wrapped his arms around Nina, pulling her upstairs. Amber rushed behind them and the living room was tense, eerily quiet.

"What did I do?" Josh asked, biting his lip as he looked around the room. He thought through his actions but found nothing. Those were the first words he'd even spoken. He'd just walked in and everyone went silent. Then the girls were crying and running away.

Joy shook her head, eyes a little red at the corners. Fabian had been her best friend and for a long time she'd loved him. There stood his replacement which was hard to see but she had to at least speak to him. "It's not you." She answered, standing up and walking over. She pushed the tears back into her skull, sticking out her hand. "I'm Joy."

"Joy." He repeated with a little smile. "Hi, Joy. I'm Josh." He greeted, shaking her hand firmly. "Then what is it about?"

Joy shrugged, shaking her head. "Don't worry about it." She answered, steering him from the room because Alfie was sniffling and Mara was turning red. Jerome was just being stubborn Jerome but she knew she didn't like it either. So she led him downstairs to his new room. "So, what brings you here?"

"My dad wanted to get rid of me." He answered with a shrug, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I've been on the waiting list here forever and I just now got in so yeah. Here I am." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, flipping it open.

Joy nodded. "Ah." She answered, leaning against the door and biting her lip. "I'll go now, but its nice to meet you." She told him, reaching for the door knob.

"Hey, Joy?" He called after her and she turned to raise an eyebrow at him. "I'll see you later, right?" He asked and she nodded. "I'll be looking forward to it."

Joy blushed, scooting from the room and heading back up to the girls rooms where she found Eddie holding Nina and Amber shaking her head a little bit as she sat beside a weeping Alfie. "Well." She hedged, sitting beside Amber and Alfie. "What's up Sibuna?" She asked, attempting to lighten the mood.

Nina looked up with red eyes. "We thought we had a lead but we were wrong." She told them.

Amber frowned. "The piece wasn't in the library? I was almost sure of it." She answered, crossing her arms. "What else could that line mean? It's not like we can look through some sort of crack in the sun."

Alfie sniffled, looking out the window before turning to Amber. "You said the sun was on the window in the attic?" He asked and Amber nodded, frowning at his logic. "Maybe whatever we are looking for is still in the attic. Maybe it never left when the mirror was moved."

Nina looked up at him. "Alfie, you just might be right." She answered, eyeing him.

Joy grinned. "I know, wasn't that brilliant of old Alfie?" She held up her hand for a high five. "Way to go."

Alfie smiled, slapping her hand. "Glad to be of service."

Nina began to stand but Amber shook her head. "You're too shaken up. We'll go." Amber announced, motioning to the three of them stationed on her bed. "We'll be back in a flash." She said with a little grin, standing and holding a hand out to Alfie. "Come on." She said before leading them out into the hallway. The hallway was seemingly vacant so she led them across the hall to the door to the attic, slipping silently inside.

Though they didn't know it, Mara overheard them slipping into the attic and followed behind them, sneaking into the room behind them. She quickly crouched down behind a dresser before rolling and ending up in the makeshift closet Vera had created.

"So, do you remember where the sun was?" Joy was asking and Amber pointed toward something.

"Right there, I know it." Amber told her and Mara saw Joy crouch down to look at the floor. Amber followed suit and grinned. "The cracks."

Joy nodded, nibble fingers quickly prying the board up. "Right there." She told them, grinning with satisfaction. "Right where they said it'd be. Score one for Sibuna." She pulled out what appeared to be a piece of a mirror when everything went cold. The room seemed to even darken as the voice overtook them.

"The sun will set and the stars will rise. You can only bet on the size of your next piece. It could be huge or it could be small but Isis says find them all. In the camber you must look, in the camber you will find the book and in the book you will find the piece which hold the final clue to your ultimate peace."

Mara let out a shuddered sigh of confusion as the voice released her and she saw the others tense. She cursed herself for her thoughtless behavior but the voice was so ominous and evil. It was creepy and consuming. Most of all, it was paranormal in a way that set her instincts on fire. Fabian and Patricia, the mysterious puzzle pieces, the way the others clung together and whispered as they did. As the curtain was yanked open, the headline possibilities started forming and she was hooked instantly. _Secret Society Plays Gave of Life and Death with a Puzzle Game from the Gods._

**hm. I'm trying to play Mara as the serious reporter that's always thinking story. I'm not sure if that's exactly her character in the show but then again she isn't PLAYed all that much. She's not particularly a MAIN character and therefore I am giving myself the liberty to play her as such. **

**thoughts on josh? **


	17. Chapter 17

**First of all let me just say that I'm sorry. I am up to my ears in make up work and right now I should really be doing Chem or Algebra. But I'm writing this just for you!**

**Um, okay. Where was I? OH, RIGHT!**

Jerome was sitting on the couch with his legs crossed and eyes focused on the laptop screen in front of him. Poppy was beside him with her arms crossed, fidgeting and twirling a little piece of her hair around her finger. "Jerome, how long can it take to set up a connection with dad?" She complained, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Patience is a virtue, Poppy." Jerome replied with a little sneer. "Come on, you must realize I'm working with the technology deficient old man." He joked, smiling over at his little sister.

Poppy simply rolled her eyes, pouting a bit more. "Whatever Jerome." She said before standing and walking from the room with a little sigh.

Just as Poppy left, Mara came rushing in with an exasperated expression. "Jerome!" She practically yelled as she plopped on the couch beside him.

"Mara!" He replied, mocking her tone with his signature smirk. "What is it?"

Mara made a face, crossing her arms a little bit. "I've just overheard the most particular thing." Mara began but Jerome chuckled.

"Gossiping are we? I thought I was dating Mara not Amber." He joked, wrapping an arm around her waist.

Mara made a face before continuing with wide eyes. "I heard Amber, Alfie and Joy talking…there was this creepy voice that was talking about life or death and then Amber said something odd…Sibuna?" Mara's question hung in the air as she frowned into space. "It was really strange, Jerome, and I don't have a good feeling about it."

"Sibuna?" The voice came from Jerome's laptop, startling both of them. Mara's eyes turned to see Jerome's father's image on the screen. "I haven't heard that name in a long time." He mused, looking at something behind the camera. He was surrounded by newspapers and books.

Mara's eyebrows knitted together. "You've heard of it?" She asked, carefully scooting away from Jerome just enough that their position couldn't have been compromising. She hadn't been that close but really why take chances with the dad hating you? Of chores Mara was a lot of the reason Jerome's father wasn't in jail so he really had little room to hate her.

Mr. Clarke nodded, pensively turning to them. "When I was at the school there were tails of such group. Sibuna." He laughed sheepishly, eyeing Mara curiously. "The Scooby Doo of the Egyptian world, I'd say. They hailed from the Anubis house and were always solving some sort of Egyptian riddles. Eh, that's what they said at least. It was all one big rumor, yeah? Don't put any stock into it." He glanced at the clock and bit his lip before turning back to them. "I better go now. Sorry I didn't get to speak to Poppy. Tell her to call me later?" Jerome nodded and his father smiled. "Alright then I bid you good day." He said before clicking off.

Mara turned to Jerome, crossing her arms over her chest. "That conversation didn't seem right to me." She told him, raising an eyebrow to indicate that she'd noticed the shiftiness in his dad's behavior.

Jerome frowned at her. "What? You think my dad was a part of that secret society? You think he lied to our faces?" He asked, running his fingers through his hair.

Mara shrugged. "I didn't say that. I just said something didn't seem right about the conversation." She answered, leaning back into the couch. "Am I wrong?"

Jerome smirked, sliding an arm around her. "If I tell you that you aren't, will you kiss me?" He asked, chuckling when she nodded. "Then yes. You're right." He answered, watching as she leaned forward to press a long kiss against his lips.

"Though I know you're only humoring me in order to get your kiss," She whispered against his lips, pulling him closer as her fingers knotted in the hair at the nape of his neck. "I'll kiss you anyway." She finished as she kissed him again, harder this time.

"You're one amazing kisser, Mara Jaffary and that I wouldn't have guessed that." He told her, causing her to laugh loudly. She leaned forward, kissing him harder as if to prove his point. "I see! Mick was one lucky and stupid boy. Giving this away?" Jerome commented, chuckling against her lips.

Mara smirked, pulling away to look at him. "You stole me and you know it." She told him, smiling a bit as she dipped her hand under the hem of his shirt, teasing him playfully.

Jerome smirked, quickly flipping them over so he had her pinned on the couch. "No more of that." He whispered, kissing her neck.

"Aw, gross!" Poppy yelled, having walked back into the room to retrieve her back that was currently under Mara's head. Her hands quickly went to cover her face before turning around. "Could you two stop long enough for me to get my bag?" She asked, rolling her eyes.

Jerome shrugged. "I don't really think so, Poppy." He answered, peppering kisses down Mara's now flushed neck.

Mara blushed heavily, pushing Jerome onto the ground. "Really?" She joked, sitting up and handing Poppy her bag before standing up.

Jerome popped up, smirking at them. "I was only kidding!" He argued as Poppy turned from the room, shaking her head.

"No, no you weren't." She called over her shoulder as she slipped down the hallway.

Mara rolled her eyes, taking Jerome's hand. "Come on, lets head back to the house of secrets." She told him, pulling him along behind her as she trudged out of the building and then through the grass. It was sunny and the clouds were parting perfectly. It was one of those oh so magical days that just made you feel alive.

Jerome smirked at her, pulling her into his arms. "Why such a rush, Jaffary?" He asked, kissing her cheek gently. "It's a beautiful day. Can't we just float for a minute?"

Mara's expression flipped from surprised to amused in a matter of a second. "Float?" She asked and he nodded, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Yeah. Just stand here and enjoy this beautiful day." He answered, kissing her neck gently.

Mara rolled her eyes. "You want to enjoy the day or kiss?" She asked, looking up at him with a little laugh.

"A little of both." He answered truthfully and Mara smiled, flopping down into the grass.

"Just because you were honest." She answered, patting the grass beside her. He sat down beside her and she pulled him down so she could curl up against his chest. "Jerome you never cease to surprise me."

Jerome chuckled, wrapping an arm around her waist. "I am a complex individual, Mara." He answered, smiling against her hair.

Mara nodded, taking his hand in her own as she looked up at the clouds. "I'd like to know every part of that person." She told him and he made a little noise in the back of his throat, nervously looking away. Mara sighed, hugging him close. "Slowly, then, Jerome." She answered quietly before loosing herself in the sky.

**lemme forworn you. if I disappear its cuz my grades are dropping. my Spanish is… really bad (though there are only two grades in the grade book but still!)… just…I'm sorry. I am trying to keep my grades up and keep you guys entertained but jeez…**


	18. Chapter 18

**um. so. yeah. ready? **

**Wednesday I went to State Festival with my choir but without my conductor. She was sick and our assistant conductor (who is like awesome and I love her but STILL) and we came home with 2's. I had to listen to the guy I'm in love with talk to his girlfriend on the phone and end the conversation with "I love you" and anyway when I got home at five I had to dive into makeup work and was unable to work on the story.**

**Thursday night I did homework up until the point where I went to go see the HUNGER GAMES! it was ahmazing. I went with my crazy best friends and the guy I'm in love with (ironically). yeah. my life is a mess.**

**So, here we are. Friday. MUST TYPE AND NOT EAT THE ICE CREAM…oh but it's calling my name. and it's melting. you aren't melting! ice cream wins **

**I am done with ice cream now. yay for you.**

**review please...and thank you**

Nina woke up the next morning and sighed quietly, stretching her arms over her head. She stood and went through the motions of everyday life without much enthusiasm. A few minutes later she was dressed and adjusting her hair when someone knocked on her door. She sighed, walking over to open the door only to find Eddie leaning against the doorframe. She must've left the door open. Oops.

Eddie waved, kicking away from the door to look at her. "How you doing, Libby?" He asked with a tilt of the head. He knew she wouldn't lie or sugar coat anything. They'd come to the conclusion that they were the only people who could understand how the other was feeling and so why try to hide it?

Nina shrugged. "Not great." She answered with a sigh as she turned to look at her reflection in the mirror again. There were faded circles under her eyes from lack of sleep that she'd attempted to cover up with makeup. Her eyes themselves were dull and lifeless. Her hair was simply pulled back with one of Amber's many thin headbands instead of twisted on the sides. Nina sighed sadly. "I look dreadful."

Eddie chuckled, walking over to hug her. "It's okay. I do too." He answered, making a face in the mirror. It was true though. He hadn't been sleeping either and he couldn't exactly wear makeup (male makeup is weird, duh). His hair was slightly askew.

"It doesn't matter on boys though." She answered playfully hitting him on the head before glancing at her watch. "Aw, we're late!" She announced, grabbing his hand and pulling him out the door. "We need to be in class in seven minutes."

Eddie chuckled, hurrying after her. "You're so precise, Martin." He commented as she pulled him through the front doors of the house and cut through the grass. "Just calm down. We aren't going to be late." He told her just as they stumbled into the most surprising thing they could have.

Mara was lying in the grass, cuddled into Jerome's chest, hands intertwined with his. Her head was hiding from the sun in the crook of his neck and it looked like they'd been there for a while.

Eddie whistled, kicking Jerome's leg. "Wake up, love birds." He joked, smirking as Jerome's eyes opened wearily in the bight morning sun.

Nina frowned down at Mara who was rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "Er, Mara, you're going to be late." She announced causing her eyes to snap open.

Mara made a panicked face, sitting upright immediately. "What…?" She turned and looked at Jerome who looked disoriented. Her eyes bugged out as she scrambled to get up. "We fell asleep!" She attempted to dust herself off but just sighed loudly. "Oh, that's not going to work!" She yelled, throwing her hands up in defeat before running into the house.

Jerome frowned, eyebrows creasing together. "Well. Good morning to you two, then." He answered but Nina grabbed Eddie's arm.

"We've gotta get to class." She told both of them and then turned on her heel, heading for the school.

Jerome smirked. "Good morning, Jerome." He muttered, standing up and walking to the house. He headed downstairs and slipped on some fresh clothes before heading back upstairs. He ran straight into Mara who had one foot out the door and he sighed. "Mara, French has already started. There's no point. Come on in here and I'll make some breakfast."

Mara sighed loudly before walking into the kitchen and dropping her bag on the counter. She was extremely hungry so she leaned against the counter and looked at him with a frown. "What about Trudy or Victor?" She asked him but he simply shook his head.

He pulled a pan out of the cabinet before turning to her. "They aren't here." He told her, pulling some eggs from the fridge and artfully cracking them. "Now stop worrying. Missing one class won't kill you."

Mara shrugged, kicking off and looking at him with a little smirk. "It might." She answered, rolling her eyes playfully and standing up on her tip toes to grab the bread from the top of the fridge. She twirled around, pulling out four slices and popping them into the toaster. "I'm kidding." She added, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

Jerome grinned at her. "Good girl." He said, pulling the fridge open and yanked the cheese out, grading just enough to sprinkle on the eggs he was making. "So, Miss Mara, how would you like to spend your ditching period?" He asked, fully knowing that the word 'ditch' would freak her out.

Her eyes widened but she let out a long breath. "Cute, Jerome." She answered, walking over to the table. "Hm. After breakfast maybe we could kiss a little bit?" She asked, wiggling an eyebrow at him.

Jerome grinned, putting the eggs on two plates and grabbing the toast from the toaster on his way to the table. "Sounds perfect to me." He answered, setting the plate in front of her and plopping in the chair beside her. "Mara Jaffary skipping class to snog her boyfriend. The world must be ending." He joked, nudging her shoulder playfully.

"Shut it, Jerome." She answered, smirking at him as she took a bite of his eggs and turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Will you marry me?" She joked, taking another loving bite.

He chuckled. "Hm. Jerome Jaffary does sound nice." He joked right back, rolling his eyes as he shoveled his eggs down. "I'm ready for my kisses." He told her excitedly and she rolled her eyes.

"Let me enjoy this fabulous cooking first." She argued, carefully chewing on a bite of her toast. Jerome groaned and Mara rolled her eyes, chewing extra slowly on purpose until she'd eaten every bite that was on her plate. "Mhm. Good. Now, lets see what time it is." She glanced at her watch. "We have fifteen minutes." She told him before grabbing his hand and yanking him into the living room. She gently pushed him down on the couch and kissed him hard, fingers tangling in his hair. Jerome groaned, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her closer into the kiss. Minutes pass all too quickly though and soon Mara was pulling away to give him a little, sweet, chaste kiss on the lips before standing back up and smoothing her skirt. "Time for our next class, lover boy."

Jerome let out a long sigh before standing and taking her hand. All too soon they were back in school surrounded by the idle chatter of the rest of their school's unfortunate population. Mara turned around the corner and saw Nina, Eddie, Alfie, Amber and Joy huddled around a locker. She grinned, slipping behind them silently to "open" her locker.

"Alright, Sibuna meeting tonight to discuss the next clue?" Amber was asking and they all nodded in agreement. "Alright."

Mara stood there facing away from them for a long time analyzing the conversation as Jerome appeared in front of her. Maybe his father was telling more than high school rumors after all.


	19. Chapter 19

**Yes…so, I'm working on a new chappy now. yay.**

**NOTE: I just got home from my friend's sweet sixteen birthday party. It's ten thirty and I'm tired but I am going to TRY to finish this chapter before I pass out from ! I can't do it. I'm too tired. SORRY!**

"Joy?" Mr. Sweet called from the front of the room and she stood up, walking quickly to join him at his desk. She raised an inquizical eyebrow just as the new guy in Anubis house strolled in. He waved at her, stopping beside Mr. Sweet's desk. "Perfect timing, Mr. Stevenson. This is your new lab partner, Joy." He announced, smiling a bit.

Joy nodded, crossing her arms and pushing away from the desk. "Alright." She answered, turning to look at Nina who had conveniently taken the empty seat beside Eddie. Joy understood that she wouldn't want to sit by Fabian's replacement but she didn't either. Though she didn't hate him for what Patricia hated Nina for, she wasn't keen on being buddy buddy with the new guy either.

"So, Joy." Josh probed, sitting in the seat to her right and looking over at her. "Are you any good at biology?" He asked her with a raised eyebrow. He was fairly bright himself but the sciences had never been his strong suits. He preferred English or history any day. So, maybe, Joy could help him out with his bio. That'd be nice.

Joy shrugged, flipping open her book to the page number Mr. Sweet had scribbled onto the board before turning to face him fully. "I'm fairly good at it, why?" She asked without much enthusiasm. It was the new guy for heaven's sake. He slept in Fabian's bed every night. How else should she feel?

"I'm not all that good at it. Maybe you could tutor me." He suggested lightly, smiling warmly at her. He figured if he found a way to crack one's resolve then the rest would follow. He didn't know why they hated him but he intended to stop it as soon as possible. All he needed at this new school was his whole house hating him.

Joy looked down at her book again. "Maybe." She answered, pulling the notebook from her backpack and scribbling down the homework assignment Mr. Sweet had just written on the board. She then turned to look at him, feeling a bit remorseful about the whole house's reaction to him. "How about tonight? We can study together." She suggested, tapping her pencil against the desk.

"Brilliant." He answered, grinning at her as Mr. Sweet started teaching.

***KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN***

Nina let out a long sigh. "So, lets go over the clue." She said, turning to look at Amber, Alfie and Joy. "What was it again?" She asked, scanning her eyes over each of them, a frown pulling at the edges of her eyebrows and lips.

Eddie who was sitting beside her, patted her leg gently in response to her question before turning to Amber. "Something about the sun and the stars?" He recalled, running his fingers through his hair. The voices in his head had diminished some now that he and Nina were spending more time together. He no longer worried about the sinister messages much anymore. Even when they came they weren't as powerful. The voice would overcome him long enough to whisper Nina's name or coo that they were only two pieces away. Then it'd be over and normality would resume. It felt good. Almost like he was free. Almost.

Amber let out a long breath. "The sun will set and the stars will rise." She whispered, eyes intent on the ceiling above her. "You can only bet on the size of your next piece." She continued, hands fiddling with her long blonde hair.

"It could be huge or it could be small but Iris says find them all." Joy continued, biting her lip a bit. The line seemed creepy to her for some reason but she said it anyway.

Alfie chimed in next, eyes full of pent up excitement. "In the chamber you must look, in the chamber you will find the book and in the book you will find the piece which will hold the clue to your ultimate-"

"Peace." They all finished, eyes slightly glazed over.

Nina let out a long sigh, looking over at them. "So, in essence, we're looking for a book?" She mused, glancing over at Eddie tiredly. She was tired of the Egyptian games she'd been thrown into. Part of her wanted to give up. Part of her just wanted to die because she knew it would never be over. She'd die an old woman in a nursing home giving away the necklace. What kind of life was this to live? The logical part of her knew she'd never give in though. At least not now. More than her life was at stake. Fabian's and Patricia's lives also hang in the balance. She wouldn't give up this time. She'd fight it out. She'd save them. Next time she wouldn't let anyone die for her. She wasn't taking any chances.

Eddie saw the weariness in her face and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his arms. She was stiff with worry in his arms so he hugged her gently. "For Fabian." He whispered into ear and she nodded, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"For Patricia." She answered under her breath, taking his hand in hers before turning to look at Amber who was frowning at the spectacle.

Amber had embraced the Chosen One-Osirian bond to an extent but the amount of physical contact they'd started having was getting under her skin. She didn't like them being so close when the others were… She shook her head. "Yes, we're looking for a book." She answered, biting her bottom lip. "In a chamber." She added, looking away from them to pear at Alfie.

"Down in the tunnels?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at Amber before turning to look at Nina. "What do you think, Chosen One?" He asked her, smiling just a bit.

Nina shook her head, turning her face to press into Eddie's shoulder. "I don't know. Maybe. I guess a chamber could be a tunnel. There weren't any books in the tunnels though." She added, turning her face to look at Alfie again. "Good theory though." She told him weakly.

Alfie sighed, looking down at his hands for a moment. There weren't any books in the tunnels. There weren't any books in the tunnels but there were books in the study! "Nina, the study." He answered, turning to look at Amber. "The book must be in the study!"

Amber grinned, reaching over to hug him. "Alfie, that's two for two!" She grinned, wrapping her arms around his frame. "I'm so proud of you!" She announced, kissing his cheek gently.

Nina nodded. "Good job, Alfie. Let's just hope it's right." She answered with a little sigh. "When will we be able to test this theory?"

"Let's go downstairs now." Eddie answered, the voices in his head stirring up. "Right now. Come on." He said, standing up and offering Nina a hand.

Joy shook her head. "Not now. I have to study with the new guy." She told them, crossing her arms and leaning back against Amber's bed. She still had mixed feelings about the new guy. She never even so much as thought his name.

Eddie sighed. "Fine. We'll go down to the study after dinner." He decided and there was a knock on the door, causing them all to jump. They'd forgotten the door was cracked open and now Josh was standing awkwardly in the doorway, holding a couple of books. "Josh." Eddie greeted, looking down to make sure Nina was okay.

Joy quickly scrambled up. "Um, I'll see you guys later then." She told them, scooting from the room and heading to Josh's side. "My room?" She guessed before sidestepping into the hall to open her door. She yanked the door open and smiled when she realized Mara must be off with Jerome because her bed was vacant.

Josh stepped inside and walked over, sitting in the desk chair. He opened his biology book to the page Mr. Sweet had assigned for homework, pulling a pencil from his bag and tapping it against his book. "Joy, can I ask you a question?" He asked, frowning down at the words on the page.

Joy frowned. "You're going to ask why everyone around here seems to hate you?" She asked, biting her lip and focusing her eyes on the cover of her biology book. On the front cover was a picture of a gorgeous brightly colored bird which had always made her smile. She saw Josh nod out of the corner of her eye and sighed. "Its nothing you've done." She answered, knowing that wasn't enough information. "The boy that was here before you-Fabian-" She choked out his name, hating the taste of it on her mouth. "He…he. He was a great guy and he killed himself just a few days ago. You being here so soon to…take his place…well, it's just been hard on us." She answered, biting her lip nervously. "So, I'm sorry if I haven't been very friendly."

Josh nodded, looking over her shoulder. "So, let me guess. The girl…Nina, that was his girlfriend?" He asked. Joy nodded. "Ah. What's the story with the boy she's with now?" He asked her. He had always been curious and now he couldn't help it. He wanted to understand.

Joy exhaled loudly. "His girlfriend also killed herself." She answered, biting her lip. "They aren't together." She clarified, looking over at him. "They are just clinging to each other because they are the only ones who understand how the others feel."

Josh nodded, looking at her with a tilt to his head. He studied her face for a long moment before letting out a sigh. "Do you know why they did it?" He asked quietly, voice barely over a whisper.

Joy bit her lip. The truth wasn't possible. A lie? She sighed. The standard was the easiest. "They thought they were in the way." She answered, silently begging he not ask more.

"In the way of what?" He probed, frowning deeply. He didn't understand why two people in the same house would kill themselves. He just didn't get it. What was the point of it? There was something wrong. She wasn't telling him the whole story.

Joy looked away. "Of Nina and Eddie."

"You just said they aren't together." He countered, eyebrows pulling together in muted frustration.

"They aren't." She answered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Then what aren't you telling me?" He asked her steadily. He was a reporter. He knew how to get information out of people.

"Nothing." She lied, biting her lip.

"Something about the tunnels?" He asked, standing up to look at her. "The study? What is going on in this house, Joy?" His words stung. He'd overheard enough of their conversation to know something weird was going on. Freaky riddles were probably only the beginning. If he was going to live there, he needed to at least know the facts. That's what all good reporters want and what Joy was giving him was a thinly portrayed viel to hide the truth. That he would not stand for.

**Looky looky. Not only are Jerome and Mara closing in on the secrets of the house of Anubis, but also our new guy. Joshy. Hm. REVIEW…and I'll try to update tomorrow morning. BUT I want at LEAST three reviews for an update. THREE. at LEAST. (don't be lazy people)**

**NOTE: I am too unhappy to go to school today:P (don't ask, i don't know.)**


	20. Chapter 20

**hey. so like I said I was too depressed to go to school today. don't ask why I don't want to talk about it. it's just good for you cuz you got a chapter out of me.**

"Um, we might have a small problem." Joy muttered as they crawled into the basement. She wrapped her arms around her torso as Nina walked to the bookshelf and sighed. "Josh…overheard our conversation." She told them, biting her lip a bit.

Eddie frowned from Nina's side. "How much of it?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as Nina opened the door.

Joy shrugged, looking over at Eddie with a frown. "That's the problem. He didn't really say. He knew quite a lot though."

Nina exhaled, stepping into the study. "Joy, did you tell him about Fabian and Patricia?" She asked, tired eyes turning to look over at Joy's face. Joy nodded so Nina smiled weakly. "It was all one big game we used to play-a game of mystery and chance. We would spend time playing this game and now that they're gone, we play it again to try to make things normal by playing the game." She looked at Amber for support.

"Yeah, Joy. Show her the pictures of you and Patricia. Lay the friendship on thick and that would play into the fact that you'd want to try in any way to feel closer to them." Amber thought for a minute as her hands ran over the spines of the old books before turning to Joy. "Oh, and I'll give you some other pictures. He's probably assuming some things that he shouldn't."

Nina frowned, looking at Joy. "Could you guys go on and do it? He might talk to Mara or Jerome and all we need is them closing in on us." She told Joy who nodded.

"Um, sure. I'll just catch up with you guys later then?" She asked them, turning to the door.

Amber nodded. "I'll go with you." She said, turning back to look at Nina, Alfie and Eddie. "You'll be alright? You do have my genius boyfriend to help." She grinned, tweaking Alfie's nose before turning to the door. "Let's go Joy." She said before disappearing from the door.

Nina sighed, turning to look at the others. "Lets get to work you two." She said, glancing at her watch. "We have an hour before the pen drops." She almost joked, turning to the bookshelves.

"An hour is plenty of time!" Alfie announced, grinning at them before following Nina and looking through a couple of books.

Eddie did the same, standing by the shelves and opening book after book. "_Osirian, you can do better than this. Remember that girl is on the line. You're close to the finial clue just reach out and you will find it. Close your eyes and trust yourself, Osirian." _The voice went silent in his head and Eddie gasped, knees going weak. That was the closest the voice had felt yet and the next thing he knew he was on the floor.

"Eddie!" Nina gasped, wrapping an arm steadily around his shoulders to hold him up. "Are you okay?" She asked, eyes wide with worry. She honestly didn't think she could loose anyone else and be able to go on. Plus, the mirror only brought two people back to life so if she lost anyone else she'd basically have to go ahead and give up because either way, she'd die from the grief and guilt.

Eddie frowned, slowly regaining his vision and hearing and frankly sanity. He looked up at Nina, frowning at the lines that creased her forehead in nervousness. "What's wrong, Nina?" He asked, tilting his head at Alfie who was looming over them with a book poised in his hand.

Nina frowned. "You passed out, Eddie." She told him, biting her lip and carefully helping him stand up while keeping an arm wrapped around his waist to keep him from loosing his balance and falling again.

"Oh…sorry to scare you. It was the voice again." He admitted, shaking his head to clear his cluttered mind. "It said…it said to close my eyes and just reach out…" He mumbled, closing his eyes with a little frown and extending his fingers to the bookshelf. The voice was right. Some sort of invisible force was drawing his fingertips to a book. Heat rolled off of the book in waves as his fingers grasped the leather bound spine.

Nina gasped as he pulled the book off of the shelf. It was practically glowing. "Eddie." She whispered, reaching out to touch his arm, jarring him from the trance he'd been in moments before. He turned the book over in his hands, finding a lock keeping it closed but he smiled slightly deviously, showing the lock to Nina. On the lock was an Eye of Horus. Nina's eyes bugged out as she stuck her arm into her shirt, pulling out the glowing necklace. She smiled at Eddie, sliding the necklace into place. The lock almost automatically clicked open and Nina found the piece right there in front of her.

_"Ah, children. We meet again. You're one step away from the final test and then you will be able to rest. Once the mirror is made you can take what you wish, but then so can Iris. She gives and she takes so watch your backs. Anyway, on with the clue as to where you'll find the last trifle. It'll take you all so don't stifle the knowledge which is left untapped. You'll need all hands on deck when you hear this next line. Look to where today meets tomorrow and find the place where the way is hollow. This is where you'll find your peace now and forever we'll release." _

They all let out a shuddered breath.

"I did not like the sound of that." Alfie announced, dropping his book back onto the shelf. "I didn't like it at all."

**hey. so i stayed up LATE finishing this (partly why it's so sucky and short:P) and then was unable to post it before school because my alarm clock didn't go off and I woke up a grad total of _33_ minutes before I needed to be AT SCHOOL. :P sorry.**

**On how long till Fabian and Patricia are back: One more clue. Though it's the hardest of all (even I haven't really figured it out yet). I anticipate at the very least THREE more chapters until they solve the mystery. (and in theory get F/P back) **

**That brings up another good point…do you guys want a sequel? Because when this mystery is over…I plan on shutting this one down. It's just where they stop it on the show ya know…you gotta be like the show….**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey..it's Wednesday night. Well, I lied. Its…almost 12 in the morning. I started on my homework at 8:30. I just finished. (course I did two week's worth of algebra to turn in tomorrow:P and then a little chemistry and heath:P). So, needless to say, nothing will be written tonight.**

**Hey, it's Thursday. Yayy! So, I'm going to put in a little add for the new story I'm writing right here: **

**This is a story not exactly based off of the Hunger Games but using the themes of the games and what not. In this story I (and a few of my other friends) will depict students from my own school (I'm changing the names because in part this will be done to take out rage against people I dislike…) that are thrown into a similar version of the games. I expect the story to be great once I get all my cowriters together and their various styles should bled nicely together. I am really excited about this one because it will be a good mix of humor, romance, friendship, then well the inevitable action packed death scenes in the arena (which will be written by my awesome friend Garrett who is really a great writer, I know you'll love his writing!). Anyway, you don't have to have read the books or even seen the movie to read this fanfic. Its merely affiliated with the storyline in the way that it's using the concept of the games and what not…so, really, give it a try. **

**Read it, please! I want my awesome not fanfictiony friends to see what an awesome little community we have going on here so maybe I can corrupt them and make them a part of it! Thank you for your time and consideration. If you take the time to read it, I promise you I will make the time to make it amazing. **

**ON TO THE STORY (*thank god she is done talking*)…**

_"Boy! Watch her. Your time is running out to save her…"_ The voice personified in Eddie's mind amplified and grew louder as the days passed with little progress in the way of finding the last piece to the mirror. Sibuna was meeting nightly, racking their brains until they finally gave up one by one and slipped from the room back into their own. Eddie was always the last to go to bed due to the probing voice in his mind paired with the imagine of Patricia looming in his mind's eye at every waking hour of the day.

The new guy was sitting cross legged on his bed, laptop balanced on his knees and working on some sort of paper while Eddie pondered the clue for the millionth time. Amber had cleared up any assumptions Josh might've made about Eddie and Nina by showing him countless pictures of the other two relationships that were so rudely interrupted by this Egyptian nightmare they are living (although she didn't tell him that). Eddie was fairly certain that Josh believed their cover story also, which was a relief. All they need is any more members in danger.

"Eddie!" Nina was calling from somewhere upstairs and Eddie frowned, eyebrows creasing as he hopped from the bed. His eyes darted to the unmoving Josh before he hurried from the room to see what was going on.

Once Eddie was gone, Josh sat up, looking over at Eddie's bed with an odd expression. He didn't know what he was looking for, honestly he didn't. He just felt so weird about his room mate who snuck out of the room after curfew but swears he isn't dating the other American or anyone else in the house. He also didn't feel good about their story about the "games" they'd played with Patricia and Fabian and the fact that they were just reenacting them to feel close to them again. It all seemed very odd to Josh as if the facts didn't add up. It all seemed like a loosely woven tale to him.

He spotted Eddie's phone lying on the bedside table and stood silently. His long legs crossed the room in two steps and then the phone was in his hand. On instinct he scrolled into his messages, reading through some of the conversations.

"She just can't die." He'd said to Amber just yesterday.

"I know, Eddie." Amber'd answered.

"What can we do?"

"Just think."

"I hear it, Amber. All the time. I can't stand to be in my own mind much longer."

No response.

Josh switched gears and scrolled down to Nina's name. He sat down on his bed again, looking down at the phone in the silence.

"Nina?" Eddie'd asked her just before his conversation with Amber.

"Yeah?" She'd responded a few minutes later.

"How are you?"

"I'm alive…for now." Josh's face twitched in confusion.

"Don't say that, Libby."

"Why not, great Osirian? It's the truth." Osirian? What the…?

"It doesn't have to be."

"We've spent four days trying to decipher this last clue. If we were going to figure it out, we would have figured it out already. I'm as good as dead and you know it." He knew it! It wasn't a game.

"I haven't given up."

"I haven't either. I'm only being realistic."

Eddie hadn't responded to that. Josh could understand that. Obviously, that wasn't the answer Eddie was hoping for.

Josh almost jumped, hearing the sound of footsteps on the stairs. He quickly replaced the phone onto Eddie's bedside table and hopped back onto his bed, repositioning his laptop back into his lap just as Eddie strode into the room. Questions were brimming up into Josh's head and he couldn't understand what was going on. Apparently there were a few things about Anubis house that weren't on the website.

Eddie strode over to grab his phone, sticking it into is pocket. "Forgot this." He mumbled to Josh before turning and walking back upstairs without giving him another thought. He wasn't found of the new guy though if the truth were told, he really hadn't given him much of a chance. He shook the thought from his head before heading back into the living room where Sibuna was assembled, looking at each other nervously. Their deadline was drawing closer and everyone was growing more and more anxious. They really had no idea. At least they didn't have some mystical connection causing voices to whisper sinister things into his mind at every moment of the day and night. It was driving him mad- and apparently British.

"I…" Nina mumbled, biting her lip a bit as she looked at them. "I love you guys." She whispered, voice quivering slightly.

Eddie's expression faltered. He couldn't take this. She'd given up on her own life. How could she do that when he was willing to do anything to keep her alive? How could she be so selfish when he was ready to sacrifice himself to save her? How could she do this when Patricia and Fabian had sacrificed themselves to save her? How could she just give up? What was wrong with her? He couldn't take that, no. He just couldn't believe she'd given up on herself before the clock even ran out. He was a big believer in the last minute, thirty seconds, ten seconds, five seconds, the last moment. They would save her. Whatever it took.


	22. Chapter 22

**you know me. :D**

**I am listening to loud music in ear phones just like a good little choir student shouldn't:D**

**"one day I'll be working at the new york times and all you'll ever be is mean -and a liar and pathetic and alone in life and mean and mean and mean and mean-but someday I'll be writing in a big old city and all you'll ever be is mean. and someday I'll be big enough to publish a novel and all you'll ever be is mean." That's for you, Chad. **

**I'm sorry…I am honestly loosing interest in this story but don't worry…I am fighting the negative energy and pushing through it. In the meantime, read my "High School Hunger Games" story and review cuz right now I only have one reviewer (:P). I'm working with amazing writers on that particular collaboration and I'm really excited to see how our writing styles will mold together but I know it'll make something great so, yet again: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE READ IT:D I'd love you forever (okay, fine I already love you forever.) DID I MENTION IT'S ON HERE?:D**

Mara was on the computer, cross referencing the word "Sibuna" over and over again. There was nothing at all she could find on it. Jerome had pretty much decided she'd lost her mind on the whole thing but she was sure there was something behind it. She was also sure it would make for an awesome story later on once she got all her facts straight. She just needed someone to believe her. Maybe a partner in crime and it certainly wasn't going to be Jerome.

"What are you up to, Miss Mara?" Josh's voice came from behind her, jerking her from her thoughts. He plopped onto the couch beside her and caught sight of the search bar before she could click away. "Sibuna?" He asked, looking over at her with a raised eyebrow.

Mara crossed her arms, closing her laptop and looking at him with a frown. "Yeah?" She asked, tilting her head to the side a bit and attempting to look dumb. That had always been a hard emotion to fake for Mara though.

Josh appraised her expression, matching her stance with a little huff. "You aren't one of them, are you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her in the way he often did. "Their little secret club-Sibuna. You aren't one." He added, eyes staring into hers intensely. He'd learned to work answers out of people pretty easily over the years of journalism.

Mara just looked at him, head tilted to the side for a long moment. Her eyes searched his face. What did he know? How did he know it? He just got there and he already figured it out! She'd only now figured it out. "What are you? Another PI or something?" _Maybe they'd just gotten sloppy._ She amended, looking away from his eyes.

Josh chuckled, leaning back against the couch and crossing one of his legs over the other. "You answer my question first." He replied, causing her to turn to look at him with an exasperated expression.

"I'm not one of them." She answered unhappy about giving in.

Josh grinned. "That wasn't so hard, was it Miss Mara?" He asked before chuckling. "No, I'm not a PI. I'm simply a journalist." He answered her with a little shrug. It was true. He'd been working on a paper for four years and he'd pretty much learned the finer points of interrogation.

Mara shook her head, amused. "You should talk to Joy about that then." She told him, standing up and holding the laptop to her chest and walking across the room before turning to smirk at him. "Just so you know, I'm a national award winning journalist." She answered with a little laugh at his expression.

"Ready for a little competition?" He asked, standing to face her with a challenge in his eyes. He could see it now. The dueling writers of Anubis house.

Mara laughed at the devious expression that lingered in his eyes. "What are you proposing?" She asked him, raising an eyebrow at his challenge.

"A race to the information on this Sibuna. Whomever gets the article up first…well, they'll get to choose the other's…torture." He mused, wiggling his eyebrow cockily.

She almost rolled her eyes. "Sounds like a wager." She answered, holding out her hand with a little laugh. This guy didn't know the house like she did. He didn't know the students the way she did. He couldn't win this battle of wits. It was much too unfair a ratio.

He grinned, shaking her hand. "Excellent. I'll just go find Joy then." He said, strolling off down the hallway and into the kitchen where he found Joy fixing herself a glass of water from the pitcher in the fridge. He smiled, waving. "Joy. Just the girl I was looking for."

Joy raised **(A/N: Raised does not sound right. Nor does "rose" so I really am unsure of how to conjugate that particular verb. Kinda like "lay" as in I "lay on a bed" PARDON MY GRAMMATICAL OPPSIE. usually I'm the nazi, ya know:D) **her eyebrow at him. "Were you now?" She asked with a whimsical grin.

He nodded. "Yes I was." He answered, crossing the room to stand on the opposite side of the counter from her. "Mara mentioned to me that you'd be the person to talk to about the school newspaper?" He ended his statement with a lightness that trailed off into a question, leaving her room for her to dispute his comment. Another technique he'd learned over the years. People like to talk, give them the chance.

She nodded, sipping her water carefully before answered. "I am the editor and chief of the Jackle." She told him, setting the glass down on the counter. "Are you interested?" She asked him with a little tilt of the head. She didn't give him a moment to respond, launching into her next statement. "I'll need a trial article in four days. I want it on my desk by Friday, got it?" She asked, smiling a little bit at her own authority.

"Yes, ma'ma, Miss Joy." He answered before laughing and leaning himself forward, elbows resting against the countertop. "So, are there any rules against not dating within the Jackle?" He asked her with a little smile tugging at the edges of his lips.

Joy almost blushed, picking up her glass and walking around the counter, heading for the door. "None to be spoken of no." She answered, turning back around.

Josh grinned. "Excellent." He stated, stepping forward with a serious expression. "So, Joy. Would you like to go out with me?"

***gasps* LOVE FOR JOY? Omg. **

**oh hey guess what guys. me and my friend sam are awesome. I stayed over at her house last night (partly why no update to be honest.) and we watched like…the last 8 episodes of HOA including the finale (she hadn't seen any of these yet! *gasp* I KNOW!)**

**i know it's short. sorry. i tired.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Okay, maybe it's just been a really long day and I'm really emotional. But you know what? It kinda ticks me off that I work my butt of to make awesome chapters and I get what? Four reviews (WHICH ARE APPRICIATED) and then the second I make a mistake, I get home and have 11 emails all pointing out the _same_ mistake (really guys. after the FIRST review my heart was shattered enough at my own stupidity). Duck it all. I almost just said "duck this story" cuz it really tired me. But I am too in love with it to do it and there are a few of you guys who have been faithful. So, Thank You. **

**Anyway. :P**

**(I'm in a much better mood tonight. I just realized my torturous unrequited love should be coming to an end. (score one for the Hannah:D) So… I bet I know what happened last chapter. I kept reading the reviews that were like "bring patricia and fabian back" and I just…yeah:D I smart.)**

**I have had a crazyyy weekend. I'm sorry:P**

Joy rushed back to her bedroom, eyes ecstatic. She couldn't wait to tell Patricia. She'd be so happy! She thrust the door open, revealing an empty room. Her eyes swept over the room and then zeroed in on Patricia's bed before the realization crashed in on her. She wasn't here. She wasn't here.

Joy's knees buckled and she hit the floor, hands shaking. Patricia wasn't there. Her best friend was dead. Her best friend who she desperately wanted to tell about the new guy was dead. She let out a shuddering sigh. "Not for long." She whispered under her breath, pushing up from the ground quickly. She couldn't mope around. She just couldn't. She had to move. She forced herself to her closet, pushing the heavy door out of place and just looking inside.

"Joy!" Amber's voice called from down the hall, followed by heavy footfalls down the hallway until the door was pushed open. "Have you been crying?" She asked, eyebrows knitting together.

Joy sighed, quickly pushing her tears away. "Josh asked me out." She told Amber, not wanting to talk about Patricia. It'd been hard on everyone and she didn't want to look like she was falling apart. She wasn't. She was stronger than that.

Amber grinned, instantly hopping up to hug her. "That's awesome, Joy! We were just saying you needed a boyfriend." She said with a little laugh as she turned to the closet. "Would you like me to help you get ready?" She asked her although Amber's nibble fingers were already thumbing through Joy's clothes.

"Sure." Joy answered, strolling over and smiling at Amber. Frankly, Joy and Amber's relationship had been strained since…well, anyway, they hadn't even been speaking. Joy guessed after she saved Amber's life Amber decided to give her another chance which Joy appreciated especially under these circumstances.

The door opened and Mara waltzed in, setting her laptop on her desk and glancing over at them. "Hey guys. What's up?" She asked as she riffled through the books on her desk to pull out her biology book, bringing it to her chest.

Amber grinned at her. "Joy got a date." She answered in an almost sing songy voice over her shoulder before turning to look at the closet once more. "And it's my mission to make her look pretty."

Mara smiled at her. "That's great, Joy." She answered, edging toward the door. "I'd love to help but I have to go tutor Michel** (A/N: I made him up, unimportant!) **but I'm excited to see the finished product." She told them with a little smile. "I'll see you two at four thirty." She parted, waving at them as she slipped from the room. She hurried down the hallway and saw Nina and Eddie sitting together on the couch.

"Nina, come on." Eddie was saying, eyes desperate. "You can't give up now. Not with everything that is at sake." He told her, looking down at his hands.

Nina sighed, glancing over at him with a pained expression. "I just can't see us finding the answer to this one, Eddie." She mumbled under her breath, nibbling on her bottom lip.

Eddie took a deep breath, leaning back against the couch and looking at her with a deep frown, creasing his face. He could hear the chorus of voices ringing through his mind as he thought about everything that was at stake. There was so much on the line here. "Nina, think about it. If we give up now, this time Friday we will be mourning three people. If we keep going, this time Friday we'll have Fabian and Patricia back. Nina, we can't afford to turn back now. We have to get them back." He wasn't going to say it but he also couldn't help but wonder what happened to the Osirian who didn't save their Chosen One. _A hallow, meaningless life._ The voice answered, ringing through his head.

"I don't know, Eddie…" She looked up and saw Mara standing there, causing her statement to trail off into the unknown. "Mara." She greeted with a little frown pulling at the edges of her lips.

Mara frowned back, standing up straighter. "Sorry, I was just leaving." She told them before hurrying off. Her mind was on hyper drive though. She knew Sibuna had something to do with the deaths now. It was even more news worthy now.

"Nina, please." Eddie whispered, looking at her desperately as he reached for her hand. "If you won't do this for yourself, do it for me." He chuckled darkly. "If you can't do it for me, then do it for Fabian. Don't you want him back?" He asked with a pained expression. "You do, so we can't give up now."

Nina nodded, pulling her knees up to her chin and wrapping her arms around her legs. "I'm sorry, Eddie." She whispered as she hid her face in her knees. "I'm better." She proclaimed quietly as he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into a hug.

"Its okay, Nina. You just can't give up on your own life." He told her seriously. "I can't let you do that."

She nodded, looking up and wiping her eyes. "Alright. Lets think." She told him and he grinned at her.

"That's the Nina I know and love." He told her with a genuine smile. "_Look to where today meets tomorrow and find the place where the way is hallow_." He mumbled, running his fingers through his hair. "What could that mean?" He asked with a little frown.

Nina frowned. "I don't know." She mumbled, looking over to the door where Josh was standing. "Hey, Josh." She said to him with a little wave. She'd grown to like the guy even if he was the replacement.

Josh smiled, walking over to smile at them. "Hey, guys. What's up?" He asked, scanning over their positions. It still looked to him that Nina and Eddie had a little something going on between the two of them but Amber persisted that there was nothing going on.

Eddie shrugged his arm off of Nina's waist. "Just sitting here." He answered with a nod at Josh.

Josh nodded, running his fingers through his dark locks. He was wearing dark wash jeans and a purple tee shirt. Purple was his favorite color. "Ah, alright. I better go pick up Joy." He told them with a little wave and turning to leave the room. He really didn't care about Neddie's status. His own was of more interest. So he rounded the corner onto the girl's floor and knocked on Joy's door with a smile.

"One minute!" Amber's voice yelled from the other side and there was a shuffling before she opened the door, grinning. "Hello, Josh. Let me read you your rights." She half joked before smiling at him as she opened the door.

Standing behind the door was Joy in a deep purple sundress with her hair falling in gentle curls down her back. Her makeup wasn't overdone but as she laughed she looked beautiful in the low light. "We're matching." She commented, smiling at him as she crossed the room.

He grinned. "Yeah, we are." He held out an arm to her, raising an eyebrow. "You ready?"

Joy smiled, nodding. "Ready." She answered before talking his arm happily. "Let's go."

Amber made a face. "Have her back by the time the pin drops, Romeo." She called to him as they walked away and he chuckled, nodding as he walked out before rounding the corner herself, pulling her phone from her pocket to call Alfie. It was time for some serious Amfie time.


	24. Chapter 24

**I fixed it. and kind of went off.**

**So this story was originally slated in my mind for twenty five chapter story but with the recent events I expect it to run longer. These last three days of their "quest" are going to drag out into a series of maybe ten chapters including social, mysterious, romantic and dramatic themes that all drain together to make this conglomeration of awesomeness. I really think it'll turn out good **

**So I'm not sure if you've been dissecting my writing like I have been but yeah. There's a method to my madness. Like in the show, a character will come into a room and then you will following them. That is how I'm setting the scenes up. It's not random, I let a character steer the scene into the direction I want the chapter to go. I am so the puppet master. HAHA! **

**Anyway, I say all that so I can say this: This chapter isn't like that. It's going to be transitioning between Nina and Eddie, Alfie and Amber and then Joy and Josh. There might be flashes of Mara and Jerome. Kind of a split chapter between all of the Anubis House. I am going to split up the chapter by song lyrics. **

**The song I'm using is "Cute" sung by Stephen Jerzak. I'd never heard of this song until I saw this Ambfie song video to the song. It's really cute and if you want to check it out the name of the person who made it is *goes to check so I don't tell you wrong* "musicalwheaten." I love her HOA videos so you should check them out. I know they awesome! What I'm trying to say is the song is cute so I'm going to just break up the chapter by inserting random lyrics. **

**I am expecting this chapter to be fairly long…just saying. I mean the author's note along is almost a page long (340 words..)**

**you're so sweet that you put hersey's out of business.**

Joy followed Josh outside into the falling light with a little smile. Her hands were together behind her back, linked at the fingers as she walked quietly behind him.

He was a few feet away with a little picnic basket in his hands. He knew it was clichéd but he didn't care. Who didn't love a picnic? He knew no one who didn't. In fact he thought a picnic was probably the more romantic of the things you could do for dating. So it was his staple. There was something about Joy. "So, Joy." He said as they approached a big dogwood tree, kneeling down with the basket to pull out the checker board blanket he'd brought from home for this very occasion, spreading it out on the ground with a smile before offering her his hand. "Join me?" He asked with a little grin.

Joy blushed, folding her legs underneath her as she sat down on the blanket beside him. She smiled, looking up at the setting sun that was sending delicate shadows across the growing twilight landscape. The sky was a gorgeous shade of purple, pink and orange with a full moon hanging suspended in the sky overhead. It was a gorgeous sight. "I love picnics." She commented, turning to look at him again with a smile.

He grinned at her. "Who doesn't?" He asked, playfully tugging at her hair before opening the basket. "Sandwiches and cookies." He announced with a twinkle in his eye, setting down two plates. One plate was full of tiny sandwiches cut into hearts and the other was full of Trudy's infamous white chocolate and M&M cookies **(A/N: those sound like heaven:D)**.

**Can I have a photograph to show my friends angels really exist?**

Nina and Eddie were camped out on Nina's floor surrounded by papers, books and both of their laptops. Nina was thumbing through Fabian's notes from their previous mysteries but wasn't finding much of anything on today and tomorrow meeting at some hallow place. It was insanity.

Eddie let out a long sigh, standing up. "Lets go get some food?" He asked her, offering a hand to her with a gentle smile. She looked up at him with broken eyes, not wanting to stop research even for the most basic life necessities. "You can't solve ancient mysteries on an empty stomach." He joked, grinning at her.

Nina nodded, taking his hand and letting him pull her off the ground. He then led her from the room, leaving the mess of information spilled out on the ground for anyone to find.

**Are you running out of breath from running through my head all night?**

Amber laughed, running her fingers through her blonde hair as she looked at Alfie who was sitting cross legged on his bed, innocently twirling his thumbs as the blonde sat beside him, head on his shoulder. "Alfie, when is life going to be normal again?" She asked quietly, eyes tiredly looking up at him.

Alfie frowned at her, taking her hand gently. The Alfie exuberance was even failing these days. "I don't know, Amber." He whispered back, biting his lip as she looked away from him for a moment. "I promise one day things will be back to normal though. I promise." He told her, kissing her forehead.

She smiled before leaning forward to kiss his lips gently. "Alfie…" She whispered under her breath as she pulled away. "Thank you for being here." She told him, cupping his face and kissing him again.

He grunted in response, unable to get out any words as Amber's lips crashed upon his, gently pushing him down onto the bed and curling up to his side. Only then did she pull her lips from his so he could speak. "You're very welcome." He breathed, wrapping his arms around her as she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. **(haha. you dirty minded person thought they were going to do inappropriate things:D)**

**every night I look at the stars out my window and I hope I can see the one that we saw together. it was just you and me and honestly I'll look for that star foreverrrr**

"Mhm." Joy groaned, nibbling on one of the cookies with a smile. "Trudy is an amazing cook." She commented, smiling over at Josh who just scoffed.

"Hey!" He answered with a slight laugh. "I made them." He chuckled lightly under his breath, ruffling his tousled hair with his fingers. "Okay, I used her recipe." He answered with a mischievous expression lingering in his eyes as he looked at her. "Sue me." He joked before leaning back on the blanket, stretching an arm underneath his head and looking at the stars.

Joy laughed, reclining as he had and turning her eyes to the heavens with a content smile. There were a thousand stars twinkling overhead all surrounding a giant moon against the black of night. She let out a little sigh, smiling to herself. "Sometimes I wish I could just run away to the moon." She mused, looking over at him a little bit. "Just sail off into the night and disappear from all my problems."

Josh raised an eyebrow at her. "It can't be that bad." He commented with a gentle smile as he turned to let his eyes wander over the field of stars that glowed overhead.

Joy shrugged, wishing she could pour out all her problems to this guy and let him know everything and hold her till everything was alright again. That was against the rules for all intensive purposes. She sighed, looking away from him to study the radiant moon instead of his face. "Things have been hard at Anubis house for the past few months." She answered with a little frown.

"How so?" He asked, tilting his head to the side as he plunked another cookie from the plate and took a playful bite out of the edge, causing to laugh despite the current subject matter they were discussing.

Joy smiled a bit, looking over at him with an interested expression, the words rolling onto her tongue, wanting desperately to be let out. He had this way about him to calm people down which was really nice. His voice was soothing and he was the kind of person you could pour out your heart to without a second thought. "Just with…Fabian and Patricia dying and the messed up relationships and Jerome's dad and the excabition**(idk how to spell that and I really don't feel like looking it up.)** and Sibuna and…" Her eyes bugged out as she said it, knowing what would have come next. And the spirit. And the Osirian. And the Chosen One and the fact that it was never ending.

**You're as cute as a button**

Mara knocked on Nina's door, looking for anyone who might know the page number for their French homework. She knew she wrote it down but the page number was being allusive to her. She gently pressed the door open, frowning when she saw no one was there. Then she looked down at the ground and almost choked. Books were strewn about so she knelt down, picking one of them up and turning it over in her hands. "_Egyptian Mythology on Iris: The Mirror, the Mythology and the History_." She read, frowning before she looked around. All of the books were titled something about Egyptian mythology. She spied a notebook sitting open beside a laptop and walked over, scooping it up.

Inside the front cover was Fabian Rutter's steady handwriting, his name scrawled on the pocket. The first page was a picture of an old, golden cup inside a sheet protector. She frowned, eyebrows pulling together as she flipped through the book. Notes and internet print outs. In the middle there was a pink page with a picture of Nina, Fabian and Amber hugging on it. Under the picture was the word Sibuna.

"Mara Jaffary." Jerome's voice called, frowning disapprovingly. "What are you doing?" He asked, stepping into the room as she looked up, eyes stunned. "Next time you go snooping in someone else's room, close the door, Mara."

Mara rolled her eyes, crossing the room and looking at him seriously. "Look at this, Jerome." She told him, handing him the notebook with an exasperated sigh. He had to believe now. There was proof.

Jerome shook his head. "Uh, uh, Mara. I don't do that." He chuckled a bit. "Now I'd say we get out of here because they are almost done eating." He told her, rearing out of the room.

Mara frowned down at the piece of paper before taking it out of the notebook and sticking it carefully into her bag. She then side stepped out of the room, leaving the notebook behind and instead following Jerome out of the room.

**the things you do are really something.**

Amber smiled, hugging Alfie's chest. "I'm glad we're Amfie again." She commented, tracing her fingers along his forearms. "I'm not sure what I'd do if I didn't have you to hold onto." She whispered against the fabric of his shirt.  
>He smirked just a bit. "Are you serious?" He asked her, looking down at the blonde hair that was sprawled across his pillow. Amber nodded, leaning up to brush her lips against his. "So, I'm like your rock?" He asked with a little smile. Amber nodded, rolling her eyes a little.<br>"Yeah. You're my rock." She replied a happy smile before kissing him again, hands slipping around and fastening to the back of his neck. "Now, I've got to go but I'll see you later, okay?" She asked with a sweet smile as she pulled away. It was nine. She should be getting back upstairs just in case Joy got home early enough to talk.  
>Alfie nodded, numbly sitting up and watching her go. "God, Amber." He mumbled once she was gone and then he fell back onto the bed, pulling the covers over his head to drown out the world.<br>**your eyes are blue as the ocean and baby I'm lost out at sea **  
>Nina smiled at Eddie, hugging him with a smile. "Thanks for the talk. I feel better." She admitted, handing him his laptop from off of the floor.<br>Eddie smiled, kissing her cheek. "Any time, Nina." He answered with a little grin. Sometimes he thought she didn't get the Osirian/Chosen One bond. She hurts, he hurts.  
>Amber walked up and grabbed Nina's arm. "Lets go!" She said, dragging Nina off into Joy and Mara's room.<br>Your lips look so lonely, would they like to meet mine?

Josh's eyes widened for a millisecond before he regained his composure. "Sibuna?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow at her in confusion. "What's that?" He asked, faking innocence perfectly. He'd dabbled in drama in middle school before he realized the news room was where his heart felt most at home.

Joy's pupils dilated, heart rate increasing. "Sibuna?" She laughed, sitting back up and looking back toward the house. "Its just Anubis spelled backwards." She answered with little, nervous giggle. "We tend to call the house that a lot. Dunno how it started though."

Josh frowned. _Oh, we're playing that, are we?_ He thought before responding with a smile. "Oh, okay. That's cool." He answered, playing it like he wasn't suspicious. He'd have to wait until she cracked again and then he would have cause to pry. This would be too weird. It was the first date and all. Oh! He chuckled. He almost forgot. It was the first date. He turned to look at her with a little smile, face inches from hers. "Joy, is it to soon to kiss you?" He asked her with a smile creeping into the corners of his lips.

Joy's heart rate accelerated again for a completely different reason before shaking her head. "No." She answered, attempting to sound strong and confident when in reality she could count the number of times she'd kissed a guy on her hand and therefore she still got pre-kiss gitters. Then again she did really like this new guy.

He smiled, gently cupping her face with one of his hands and leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to her lips before pulling away to smile against her lips. "Lets head back. It's getting late." He told her, helping her up before grabbing the basket and blanket. He then took her hand in his own and led her back to the house. He walked her to her door before grinning. "I had a great time tonight."

Joy nodded. "I did too." She told him and just as he turned to leave she reached out, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him back to her. He looked stunned for a moment but before he could speak, she pressed a searing kiss against his lips and pulled away with a shaky laugh. "That's goodnight." She answered his questioning look.

He nodded, kissing her forehead. "Then goodnight."

Joy grinned, turning and letting out a long breath to regulate her heartbeat. She yanked the door open and found all of the girls left in Anubis house waiting for her. Their eyebrows wiggled suggestively before Amber grinned. "Spill." She said simply.

"It's ten o'clock! You have five minutes and I want to be able to hear a pin drop!" Victor's voice boomed through the house and Amber groaned while Joy grinned. Talk about saved by the Victor.

Amber and Nina stood up, leaving but before Amber left the room she looked at her seriously. "First thing tomorrow, Mercer!"

**five pages. dang. lets see how many words. 2, 300 (almost…and that's without the author's note at the beginning:D) go me…well, night night;D or you'll read this in the morning. UM OKAY SO … REVIEW!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey… you know how I awesome I am? I'm learning the House of Anubis theme song. In like… sweedish (is that called dutch? something like that…)or something "De schat van Anubis:D" I'm a nerd:D**

**hello again. this has been a crappy week in the life of Hannah. so, excuses, I know but really I've been depressed most of the week cuz I have to do a duet I'm not ready for Sunday and things of that nature. pretty much I've overbooked my life to the point that there honestly isn't enough of me to go around…but I'm here. sorries.**

**double braid:P**

Mara's fingers slid easily over her keyboard, eyes skimming over the numerous passages that came up about "Sibuna." She couldn't believe she'd found such tangible evidence of Sibuna existing. Now with Josh this article was a race which only increased it's appeal. So when Joy slipped from the room to take a shower the next morning, Mara'd set to work.

"Mara, what are you doing?" Jerome's voice came from behind her and she sighed deeply, closing her laptop and looking at him from where she was perched on her bed, cross legged.

She simply shrugged, running her fingers through her black hair. "Just researching an article." She answered casually, hoping he wouldn't make the connection.

Jerome smirked, flopping down on the bed beside her. "I never see you anymore, Mara." He commented with a small frown. "You said I could go out with you." He reminded, smiling a bit at her startled expression.

That most certainly wasn't what she'd been expecting. "I did and I will…I'm sorry, I've just been so preoccupied with this article." She responded, looking down at his piercing blue eyes.

"Then go out with me." He responded simply, grinning at her. "Tonight."

She frowned a bit before smiling warmly at him. "Sure, Jerome." She could forego one night of research. She'd just skip lunch and go down to the library. She'd been wanting to check the archives anyway. Surely there was _some_thing.

Jerome grinned, standing up and taking her hand. "Fantastic. Now, lets get to school." He said, dragging her by her hand from the room. She just managed to snag her laptop off of the bed and slip it into her bag before he noticed anything. They passed by Alfie and Amber who were sitting on the couch, talking quietly.

"What do you think? A place that's hallow?" Amber asked him, leaning her head against his shoulder.

He shrugged, slipping an arm around her to pull her closer. "A place that's hallow." She repeated, fingers fiddling with her skirt. "Maybe that place in Victor's office where we found the first piece."

Amber shook her head. "If it was there we would've found it before." She answered before glancing at the clock. "Aw, we have to get to school." She muttered, taking his hand and standing up. "Just keep thinking, okay? We can figure this out." She told him before kneeling down to grab her bag.

"I know." He answered with a frown, creasing his eyebrows together. "The other part seems potentially problematic too." He added as they headed out the front door toward the school.

Amber looked at the ground, eyes studying the grass beneath her little black ballet flats. "The part about night meeting day?" She clarified. Alfie nodded, staring off into the distance. "I'm just trying not to think about that." She answered with a small sigh.

Alfie nodded, pushing the front doors of the school open and holding it as she passed through. "Yeah…" He trailed off, eyes on his locker down the hall. "I'll see you in class, Amber." He told her, scooting down the hallway to open his locker.

Amber nodded before stepping up to her locker right between Joy and Mara's lockers. They were both standing there, talking under their breath as Amber slipped between them to grab her French book. "What's up, you two?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at them. They were both practically glowing.

Mara turned to look at Amber with a slight smile. "I've got a date with Jerome tonight." She answered with a little laugh before turning to fully look at Amber. "I was actually about to come find you. Would you like to make me look as amazing as you made Joy look last night?"

Amber grinned widely at Mara. "I'd love to." She replied with a wink, turning her gaze to Joy. "When exactly do I get those date details?"

Joy blushed, glancing at her watch and sighing in relief. "Uh, we need to get to class." She said, steering Amber and Mara by their arms toward the classroom just down the hall.

Amber rolled her eyes at Joy's feeble attempt to change the subject before setting her book down on the desk she and Alfie shared and crossing the room in a quick stride to stand over Joy seriously. "We'll go off campus for lunch, yeah?" She asked and walked away without giving her even a second to dispute the idea.

"What was that about?" Josh asked, slipping into his seat beside Joy with a raised eyebrow. He'd opted not to wear his blazer that day, so he was just wearing khakis and a white button down shirt that really was irritating him but he didn't have much choice in the uniform they were given. He pulled out his book, opening it to the chapter they were on before looking at Joy again.

Joy's eyes were strained on the book in front of her as he took his seat at her side. She wasn't sure how she'd concentrate on conjugating verbs with her heart pounding so loudly in her ears. She'd surely think Miss Valentine was saying flower instead of school or something equally as strange. She could barely hear her own thoughts over the sound of her heart beating erratically against her rib cage like a bird attempting to take flight.

"Joy?" He repeated, reaching between them to take her hand. "You okay?" He asked her quietly, stroking his thumb over the back of her hand and causing her small frame to jump slightly.

"Yeah?" She asked, looking up at him with a slightly confused expression.

He chuckled, looking at her curiously. "You kind of…spaced out just a little bit." He joked, wrinkling his nose at her as his fingers wrapped gently around her wrist.

Joy blushed, looking to the front of the room where Miss Valentine was scribbling on the board. "Oh, sorry." She answered before turning to look at him with a gentle smile. "What were you saying?"

He just smiled. "I just wondered what Millington wanted." He responded with a low chuckle. "Doesn't matter." He amended, grinning a bit as he looked from the front of the room to her in a second. "How'd you sleep?"

She almost laughed at him but she just nodded, biting back the laugh. "Fine. And you?"

He smiled, flashing his ultra white teeth at her before answering in a steady voice. "Absolutely fantastic."

_**Life was completely normal for Katherine. Member of the Glee club, cheerleader, preacher's daughter. Her big brother, Ron, is captain of the baseball team and her boyfriend is head pitcher. She goes to school, takes notes, reads books, sings in the choir, cheers and then goes to church were she leads the children's choir. She's just a sweet, small town girl. Everything's perfect.**_

_**That is until the accident that shook the whole school's world.**_


	26. Chapter 26

**eh my god. I haate my new old computer. it doesn't recover stuff when the power goes off and I lost all of this chapter.**

**I'm sorry updates have been sparse, lovely people. High school is the least stimulating place to be. I'm also in the most busiest season of my life. So just bare with me.**

**This is like the dedicated to Adele chapter. Girls chapter. I'm going to write a boy's chapter too:D**

Joy was mindlessly doodling on the edge of her notes in biology when the bell rang, signaling lunch time. She closed her notebook, shoving it into her bag just as Amber practically ran up. "Ready to go?" She asked before eyeing Josh with a smirk.

Josh smirked back, raising an eyebrow. "Go where?" He asked as he stood up, resting the strap of his bag on his shoulder.

Amber rolled her eyes, linking her arm with Joy's. "Sorry, buddy. Girl's lunch out." She told him before towing Joy over to where Nina was standing beside her seat, talking quietly with Eddie. "Nins, you want to come to lunch with us?" She asked with a gentle smile.

Nina bit her lip. She knew the purpose of this lunch and honestly, though she was happy for Joy, she didn't feel like hearing about her wonderful night with Josh. Not when Fabian was dead. She couldn't handle that. "I'm not sure, guys." She responded, stepping a bit closer to Eddie's side.

Joy frowned. She completely understood why Nina wouldn't want to come with them but she also wanted her to come if only to be a buffer. Maybe if Nina came, Amber would keep her questions to a minimum. Not even to mention that Joy had grown to kind of like Nina now that she wasn't after the girl's boyfriend. "Come on, Nina. Please come." She pleaded playfully, holding out her arm.

Nina sighed, smiling weakly at them. "Alright." She took Joy's arm before nodding at Eddie. "I'll see you later, okay?" She asked and before he could so much as nod, Amber'd drug them from the room and down the hall.

"I heard you guys were going to Pizzio's!" Alfie announced, appearing from behind his locker.

Amber sighed loudly. "No, Alfie. Girls only." She told him before steering them down the hall to where Mara was rifling through her locker. "Hey, Mara. Would you like to come to lunch with us?"

Mara glanced up, eyes darting to her purse where her laptop was tucked away. She needed to research. Josh had eyed her in class in a way that made her nervous. What did he know? She also really couldn't afford them being suspicious of her. "Sure." She answered slightly reluctantly before smiling.

Amber grinned, leading them out the front doors and pulling out her pink key chain with a little smile, throwing them up in the air and catching them in her hands again. The girls of Anubis didn't know she'd gotten a car yet, so they should be shocked.

Joy's eyes bugged out a little. She grinned widely. "Are those what I think they are?" She asked with a wicked grin.

Amber beamed, nodding. "If you're thinking car keys, then yes." She told them, leading them out into the car lot and up to a little yellow bug. "Isn't it adorable?" She asked them with a sweet smile.

Nina laughed, nodding with a quite genuine smile. For a moment she thought she could forget the quest she was on and the deaths and the fact that her own life hung in the balance…even for just two hours. "Quite adorable."

Mara smiled, leaning against the car. "Where are we going?" She asked with a mild laugh, realizing she hadn't even inquired as to where they were actually going.

"Pizzio's!" Amber announced, sliding the key into the lock before opening the door. "Alright ladies, hop in the Amber mobile." She laughed. "It might be a little tight." She told them as Nina and Mara climbed into the back.

Mara smirked. "A little?" She asked, fighting a laugh as she stuffed her bag by her feet.

Amber rolled her eyes, hopping into the front and buckling up beside Joy. "Adele?" She asked, flipping her CD case open and fishing out the CD before sliding it onto the dashboard. She revved the engine and looked over at the others who were all nodding so she slid the CD into the player and pressed play, smiling as the opening chords of Rolling in the Deep played throughout the car. _"There's a fire starting in my heart reaching a fever pitch and it's bringing me out the dark. Finally I can see you crystal clear. Go ahead and sell me out and I'll lay your ship there. See how I leave with every piece of you don't underestimate the things that I will do._ Take it Nina!" Amber yelled, glancing back at her friend with a wink. They turned down a road, heading into town toward the best pizza shop ever.

Nina laughed, nodding. _"There's a fire starting in my heart. Reaching a fever pitch and it's bringing me out the dark. The scars of your love remind me of us. They keep me thinking that we almost had it all. The scars of your love they leave me breathless." _

Joy chimed in, smiling brightly as her head rolled back onto the head rest to wiggle her eyebrows at the girls in the back. "_We could've had it all, rolling in the deep. You had my heart and soul and you played it to the beat." _She smirked. _"Baby I have no story to be told but I've heard one of you and I'm gonna make your head burn. Think of me in the depths of your despair. Making a home down there, reminds you of the home we shared." _

Mara laughed. "_You're gonna wish you never met me." _

_"The scars of your love remind me of us they keep me thinking that we all almost had it all."_ Joy sang with a smile, hands dancing in front of her.

_"Rolling in the deep." _Nina sang, wiggling her nose a bit.

_"The scars of your love they leave me breathless. I can't help feeling that we could've had it all." _Amber sang with a smile, singing the rest of the chorus along with her friends as she drove. They broke up into back up easily, falling into step and singing normally.

"_Throw your soul through every open door." _Nina sang, grinning a bit at the oddness of that particular line.

"_Count your blessings to find what you look for." _Mara continued, lying her head playfully on Nina's shoulder as she did so.

_"Turned my sorrow into treasured gold." _Joy added, dancing a bit in her seat, enjoying the sound of the backbeat surrounding them as they rocked out to the lyrics. Maybe this lunch wouldn't be so bad.

_"You pay me back in kind and reap just what you sow." _Amber finished, smiling evilly.

"_You're gonna wish you, never met me. You're gonna wish you, never met me." _Amber, Joy and Mara sang creepily as Amber pulled into the crowded parking lot of Pizzio's.

_"We could've had it all…we could've had it all. It all, it all, it all. We could have had it all." _Nina sang just before they split off into the chorus, singing random harmony with happy smiles until Amber pulled into a parking spot and they embarked, all laughing like maniacs.

"We should make a girl group." Amber joked, hugging their shoulders. "We're that awesome." She proclaimed, leading them into the restaurant. The smell of freshly baked pizza wafted to their noses and Nina grinned. Amber talked to the hostess and soon they were seated in a booth, facing the stage where they were preparing for karaoke. "Nina, you're going to love this place. They have amazing pizza." She announced before ordering her drink.

The others followed suit, eyeing the cute waiter as Amber ordered a stuffed crust pepperoni pizza and cheese sticks. She let out a long sigh before smiling at Joy. "Alright. We all know why we're here." She eyed Joy expectantly.

Joy took a long drag off of her coke before setting the heavy glass down on the table and looking at each of them with a little frown. "Wouldn't it be easier if you guys asked me questions?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

Amber nodded. "Alright." She answered before smiling a bit. "I can do that." She looked over Joy's shoulder, eyes following someone across the room. "Where did you go?" She asked Joy, focusing on her face again.

Joy smiled, looking down at her napkin and adjusting the way her silverware was placed. "We went on a picnic under that big tree on campus." She answered with a little smile. "He brought a blanket and a picnic basket and all. Trudy even made our dinner." She told them just as cute waiter dropped off their cheese sticks.

Nina smiled a little, taking a cheese stick off of the plate. She was realizing that this could be a lot worse. It didn't hurt as much as she thought it would. She just felt so happy for Joy. Yeah, she'd done some things in the past but who hadn't? She deserved love as much as anyone else. "What did Trudy make?"

Joy laughed under her breath. "She made heart shaped sandwiches and her infamous white chocolate chip cookies." She smiled, nibbling on the end of a cheese stick.

"Mhm." Mara murmured, grinning a little bit. "Those are so good." She commented, sipping her Spite.

Joy nodded, looking out the window past Mara's shoulder. "Yeah, they really are amazing."

Nina frowned, amused. "Am I the only one here that's never had these cookies?"

Amber smirked. "Yes, I'll have Trudy make you some." She turned to Joy. "We're getting off track." She smiled a bit. "Is that it?"

Joy leaned back against the booth and shook her head. "We just lie back onto the blanket and watched the stars for a while and it was nice…quiet and sweet." She commented, smiling a little bit as she studied the table.

Mara let out a long breath. "Come on, you're not giving us anything!" She whined, smiling a little bit as she bit off the end of a cheese stick.

"Okay. Fine." Joy answered, wrapping her arms around her stomach and looking at them. "He asked if he could kiss me." She told them, letting her words sink in for a moment. "Then when I said yes it was gentle and sweet and perfectly amazing."

Amber let out a shudder of a breath. "He asked if he could kiss you?" She asked and when Joy nodded Amber almost laughed. "Oh my gosh, I love this guy."

**Ok. So this one lunch will be split into three chapters Next chapter starts boys. YAY! I'm hoping to post a new chapter every day this weekend. That way I'll be done with the lunch after this weekend.**


	27. Chapter 27

**La la la la This is happening during the other chapter, btw. leave out all the rest**

Eddie shook his head, turning his back on the classroom and ambling toward his locker. He turned silently to search through his locker. He shoved his books inside and pulled out the picture he hated to see. He looked at it, eyes searching her face. He didn't know why she'd done it. It seemed so wrong living without that irritating, mess of a goth pixie. She was infuriating and stubborn. She was cruel and a tease. She was sarcastic and beautiful though she didn't know it. She was amazing but she didn't realize it.

Now he was standing against his locker just staring at her picture and desperately wanting answers. He wanted her back.

The voice in the back of his head nudged him, reminding him that Nina was the objective but he knew in his heart that even if Nina was the objective, Patricia was the prize. He would get her back if it killed him.

"Hey there, Eddie." Jerome's voice came from behind him as his heavy hand landed on Eddie's shoulder. Jerome looked down at the picture in Eddie's hand and they both let out a long sigh. Jerome forced a smile then and took the picture from Eddie's hand and putting it into his locker and shoving it closed. "Want to go get some lunch?" He asked before nodding over his shoulder to where Alfie and Josh were standing with their backs against the wall.

Eddie smiled back, nodding. "Sounds good." He told him, mentally noting that Jerome was helping him out. He turned to the others with a smile, glad he seemingly had a friend in this. Though he knew the others were great, he honestly didn't know who he could trust even within Sibuna.

"Alright, food." Alfie announced, barreling toward the doors. He rammed through the doors and into the parking lot as Josh, Jerome and Eddie stood watching him.

Josh raised an eyebrow, frowning a little bit as he watched Alfie's giddy, almost child-like expression. "Is he always like this?" He asked with a little chuckle as they followed him down the hall.

Eddie chuckled along with him, patting him on the back. "Ah, new guy." He said with a grin. "That's just Alfie." He answered as Jerome led them across crowded parking lot toward his silver SUV.

"Always?" Josh asked them as Jerome pulled out his keys, pressing the button on the remote control to unlock the door so Alfie could get in.  
>Jerome nodded, turning the driver's side with a smirk. "At all times." He answered before hopping in the front and revving the engine at Eddie and Josh who were still standing there.<p>

Josh shook his head, opening the door to the backseat. "He's a bit hyper." He mumbled under his breath, buckling his seat belt.

Eddie sat down beside him with a nod. "Yeah. You get used to it. Eventually." He looked out the window, following the trees with his eyes as Jerome pulled out of the parking lot. Alfie was jabbering on endlessly about the pizza place they were going to which was apparently amazing. Honestly

Eddie zoned out about halfway through the conversation. His mind kept wandering to Patricia. Her laugh, her smile, the way her eyes lit up when they got into an argument.

"Eddie?" Josh asked, looking over at Eddie with a little frown. He'd asked him a question a few minutes before but he hadn't made any move to respond. His eyes were focused on a point in the distance, expression glazed over. Josh, being the brilliant person he was, could tell he wasn't paying attention to Alfie's rambling.

Eddie almost jumped at the sound of his name, realizing that he'd in fact zoned out. "What?" He asked with a little frown. "What'd I miss?" He repeated, frowning at the dashboard.

"Oh, I was just asking about Patricia." Josh answered simply, watching Eddie's expression carefully.

Eddie's face paled a bit as his face turned silently to look at Josh. The name was scorching coming from another's lips. "What about her?" Eddie asked, voice as hard as his expression.

"What was she like?" Josh asked, honestly interested. He wanted to know if what Amber told him was true. He wanted to know if it was all a ploy or if Nina and Eddie were just two heartbroken souls that found each other.

Jerome who had been silently drumming his fingers against the steering wheel sighed. "She was sarcastic." He chuckled, attempting to try to lighten the mood. "Slightly devious." He wiggled his eyebrows at Josh in the rear view window. "Kinda mean."

Josh let out a choked laugh. "Seems more like a match for you than nice Eddie here, Jerome." He answered, thinking for a moment before continuing. "What was Fabian like?" Puzzle pieces falling into place… just one last piece to reach for and their web of lies could be torn apart.

Alfie smirked. "He was a nerd." He answered, turning to look at him. He turned to Jerome with a little smile. "What did Nina call him?" He asked, looking at the roof of the car in contemplation.

Jerome chuckled. "Geek chic." He answered, smiling at the memory of the day Patricia had read Nina's diary. Good times. He smiled to himself, pulling into the parking lot of Pizzio's and parking in a spot near the door. "Now lets stop talking about Patricia and Fabian." He suggested, glancing at Eddie who hadn't said a word since the subject had been brought up. He'd taken to staring at the roof of the car. That wasn't good for guy's lunch out.

"Good by me." Alfie answered, sensing the tension.

A few minutes later they were seated and sipping on their various drinks when Alfie grinned. "Hey guys, lets do karaoke." He suggested and before anyone had a chance to protest Alfie had scampered off toward the people singing off key on the stage.

Josh smirked. "Oh, Alfie." He mumbled, shaking his head. He liked the jokester but really did not want to sing in public. Although he was an awesome singer. A baritone in fact but who is bragging?

Jerome chuckled. "You're catching on." He commented before eyeing Eddie who was still being strangely quiet. "Eddie, you okay?"

Eddie looked up and shrugged, sipping his coke. "I'm fine." He answered just as Alfie bounded up.

"We're on." He said as the other singers left the stage. He handed each of them a wireless microphone and urged them onto the stage.

"What're we singing?" Jerome asked before they were forced onto the stage and a loud back beat surrounded them. Jerome shot Alfie a glare. He hated this song and Alfie knew it.

_"He aint real. He aint gonna be able to love you like I will. He is a stranger-you and I have history now don't you remember." _Alfie sang, cleverly changing all the pronouns in the lyrics. He wasn't half bad a singer either. He looked out at his crowd with a smile as Eddie took over, a wicked grin on his face. As Alfie was scanning the crowd he spotted the girls sitting at a table with completely baffled expressions on their faces. He chuckled at the sight. Those girls were quite adorable.

_"Sure, he's got it all, but baby is that really what you want?" _Eddie addressed the crowd before being cut off by Josh, joining in for the sheer fun of it. Unlike Jerome, Josh kind of loved this song.

_"Bless your soul you got your head in the clouds. He made a fool out of you and girl he's bringing you down. He made your heart melt now it's cold to the core and rumor has it he aint got your love anymore." _Eddie sang with a grin.

Then Alfie, Eddie and Josh broke off into parts singing the ever repetitive "rumor has it" part of the song. Alfie sang the tenor, Eddie the bass and Josh the baritone. Jerome stood behind them, shaking his head and eying the girls in the back.

They took turns through the next verse and then the chorus before shoving Jerome to the front for the last verse. Jerome shook his head wildly but finally gave in to the infectious melody with a heavy sigh. "_All of these words whispered in my ear tell a story that I cannot bare to hear. Just cuz I said it, it don't mean that I meant it. People say crazy things. Just cuz I said it, just cuz I said it don't mean I meant it…just cuz you heard it…" _

_"Rumor has it!" _The others jumped in, grinning.

_"But rumor has it she's the one I'm leaving you for!" _Alfie finished, grinning as he handed the microphones back to the man at the back of the stage and then bounded off stage. He grinned at the others. "That was fun." He announced and led them back to their table where a steaming hot meat lover's pizza was waiting.

Jerome smirked. "Alfie. I hate you." He answered serious before taking a piece of pizza and munching on the end.

Eddie rolled his eyes. "Ah, no." He replied tauntingly. "You loved it and you know it, Jerome."

Jerome turned his eyes to Eddie with an icy stare. "I didn't."

"Oh my, my, my. Look what we have here." The sound of Amber Millington's voice came wafting toward them. She was standing in front of them, arms crossed with the other girls behind her. "Ladies, I think we might need a restraining order."

Jerome chuckled. "Yes, that's right. The boys of Anubis followed you guys here. You better call a lawyer." He shook his head. "We like pizza too."

Amber rolled her eyes. "Mhm. Well, it's our turn." She answered before turning on her heel toward the stage.

"To do what?" Alfie asked, raising an eyebrow.

Amber turned with a sickly sweet smile. "To sing, silly."

**Hm. idk how I feel about this one. Let me know how you feel about it then I'll choose. I know it was fun to write if that counts for anything:D**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hello Is it too obvious I'm a choir girl? **

**Hey guys. I'm sorry but the world has been like "whoa" for me lately. give me a few weeks before you start throwing stones. so… I'm gonna need you to not leave me now. This is when Chad is going to really kill me. We've taken our state test and now Garrett's* requesting we get to write. Anything. Stories or poetry… just something. I know Chad. He won't like my writing. Don't leave me. *Have I mentioned Garrett? He's my buddy that I'm writing a story with**

Amber strutted onto stage and talked to the guy at the table while Nina, Joy and Mara stood back, smirking. The boys showing up was a twist and now they had to sing? None of them were particularly found of singing in public.

Amber grinned, emerging with four microphones and distributing them throughout their little group. "Adele, Someone Like You. Mara take the first verse, Nina second, Joy prechorus. I'll take the bridge."

Mara frowned at Amber as the music started but Amber shot her a look. "_I've heard that you've settled down. That you've found a girl and you're married now. I've heard that you're dreams came true. Guess she gave you things I didn't give to you. Old friend, why are you so shy? Aint like you to hold back and hide from the light." _

Joy grinned at the crowd. _"I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited but I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it. I hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded that for me it isn't over." _

_"Never mind I'll find someone like you. I wish nothing but the best for you, too. Don't forget me I beg I'll remember you said 'sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead. Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead." _Their voices joined together in a chorus worthy of Adele's approval as each of their individual voices turned to the others in perfect harmony.

Nina let out a shaky breath. _"You know how the time flies only yesterday was the time of my life. We were born and raised in a summer haze bound by the surprise of our glory days." _Nina made eye contact with Joy and read her expressions easily.

"I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited but I couldn't say away, I couldn't fight it. I hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded that for me it isn't over." They sang together in a tight harmony, intensity growing. The others joined in to the chorus, eyes bright as they grinned at the crowd because in reality, this was really fun.

Amber beamed, stepping up and flipping her hair a little. "Nothing compares no worries or cares. Regrets and mistakes: they're memories made. Who would have know how bittersweet this would taste?"

The last chorus started out pleading and soft with only Nina and Amber's voices but halfway through they repeated with a loud chorus as normal with everyone joining together.

"Yeah." Amber finished, wrapping her arms around the other's waists happily as the crowd cheered. "Hey, look, they agree! Lets drop out of school and start a girl group." She told them before leading them off stage and over to the boy's table. They were all standing dumb struck in surprise.

"Wow." Jerome commented before wrapping an arm around Mara's waist. "Nice performance, ladies. I'd say you won."

Alfie nodded. "Seriously. Who knew the Anubis girls could sing?" He asked before grinning at Amber. "Really good, Amber."

Amber rolled her eyes playfully, taking his hand. "Come on, Alfie. Let's go back to school." She told him happily. Alfie grinned, following her from the room with a smile.

Nina let out a long breath, turning to the others. "I guess I'll go back with you guys?" She asked as Joy and Mara followed behind Amfie.

Jerome nodded, turning. "Sure thing, Neens." He said almost jokingly as walked out the front door. "Why don't you sit by Edison and keep him from gazing off into space too much." He commented, unlocking the front seat of the car with a little smirk in Eddie's general direction.

"Alright then." Nina answered, plopping down in the back seat and crossing her legs. She carefully smoothed her skirt and looked out the window with a little sigh. There was a great chance that these were the last few moments she'd spend with these people. The deadline was the next day and they didn't have any leads. There was nothing to go on, the clue was gibberish.

"Nina?" Eddie's voice jarred her from the problematic thoughts and his steadying expression regarded her nervously. He too could feel the desperation pooling in his gut. He needed answers to the questions reeling throughout his mind. He needed to keep Nina safe and bring back Patricia and Fabian. He needed to save the day so to speak but it didn't seem probable or even possible in some ways.

Nina's eyes turned to him, searching for some sort of affirmation that things were going to be ok. That wasn't what she saw though. She saw his barely concealed panic staring back at her and that was scary. She could feel Josh's eyes on them but she didn't care. "Yeah?" She asked in a nearly silent voice.

Eddie watched her carefully, eyes glued to her face. "You kind of …" He answered, unsure how to finish so he let the sentence drop of into an oblivion. Words were failing him though he'd never been great with words.

Jerome chuckled, pulling into a parking space at the school. "You two have turned weird, you know that, right?" He asked before hopping out of the car. It was true though. Ever since Patricia and Fabian's deaths, they'd been acting strange. In fact, they'd been acting rather odd all semester. Jerome didn't know what to think of this weird alliance of students but he knew something was going on. As he headed to their next class he silently regarded Mara's comments about Sibuna and smirked a bit. She might just be right after all. He wasn't quite sure why he'd ever doubted her though. This is Mara. She's always right.

Jerome slid into his seat beside Mara and looked at her seriously, eyes darkening with curiosity. "Hey Mara?" He asked, eyeing her a bit.

Mara didn't look up from where she was sitting with her laptop, scrolling through something with careful consideration. "Mhm?" She asked with a small smile playing on the edges of her lips.

Jerome let out a long, level breath before continuing. "I think I believe you." He told her under his breath, hands gently removing the laptop from the table, eliciting an irritated groan from Mara.

"About?" She asked, unamused. She'd been in the middle of heavy research. After all her deadline was in less than eight hours.

Jerome sighed, looking at her seriously. "About Sibuna." He whispered, watching her reaction carefully.

Mara looked at him for a long moment before letting her eyes drift over to where Eddie, Nina, Amber, Alfie and Joy were talking across the room. "Excellent. I could use a partner in crime." She answered with a little wink as Joy crossed the room to take her seat beside Josh.

"Hey there." Josh greeted with a little smile. He'd noticed the conversation between half of the Anubis house members. He'd be tactful about it though. "What were you guys talking about?"

Joy's eyes dilated a bit as she looked at him but she quickly regained her composure. Luckily she'd always been pretty good a liar. "Oh, Amber just thinks we should make a girl group." She answered with a quick laugh.

If he'd blinked he would've missed the second of panic that'd spread across her face before she'd caught it. She was good but he was a little better. "Well, you guys are good." He answered before kissing her cheek gently. "So, Joy. Is anything…strange happening?" He asked, raising an eyebrow a her seriously.

Joy frowned, looking at him. "What do you mean?" She asked, pulse racing a bit. He seemed so smart, he could help. He could save them from this. He could potentially be the one to save Nina's life. Joy shook her head. She couldn't let herself justify telling him the truth. She couldn't do that.

Josh shrugged. "Just anything out of the ordinary.." He asked, eyes probing.

"No, nothing." She answered quietly, eyes lingering over his shoulder.

Josh looked to the front of the class where the teacher was getting ready to start class. "Alright." He answered before letting out a breath. "Well, you know that if you need help, I'm here."

Joy nodded before looking over at Nina and Eddie as the teacher took to writing on the board.

Nina was frowning at her hands, eyes studying the lines across her palm. Eddie's eyes were watching as Nina's fingers gently traced the lifeline that ran across the center of her palm. "Nina." He whispered almost silent in the quieting room. "Don't give up." He begged just as the teacher started talking and Nina started thinking again.

Thinking almost always hurt. It was painful to think. She didn't care though. There was nothing else to do during class.

The riddle drifted to her mind and she pondered over it without much accomplishment. This riddle didn't seem to have an answer and it was frustrating her. How could Iris expect them to figure this one out? It was a mystery beyond mystery.

Wait.

She gripped Eddie's hand under the table, eyes growing intense as she started at a spot across the room. Eddie's eyes turned to look at her, frowning deeply. She could see it. She knew where the piece was. In fact she'd seen it before in passing and not given it a second thought.

The room was spinning with excitement as she turned her gaze to the clock. The bell rang, sounding throughout her head and sending shocks along her spine. She shoved her books into her bag and dashed out of the door faster than anyone could process, dragging Eddie behind her.

**is it over yet? can I open my eyes? is this as hard as it gets? is this what it feels like to really cry?**

**in an ideal world I could look him in the eye and tell him the truth and everything would either stay the same or become amazingly better. yes, I know he knows but it's not possible. I can't do it. I can't say it. the words won't come past my lips. **

**oh. and btw, this is the second to last chapter. *evil laughter***


	29. Chapter 29

***Duh. Duh. Duh.***

**Here's to us, here's to love. here's to us. **

Amber started after them in a moment of sheer silence as the classroom regarded her exit before bolting forward, shoving all of her books into her bag. "We have to go now, Alfie." She insisted, grabbing his arm and half cantering down the hallway after them as Joy stood stunned.

Joy grabbed her books and turned to leave the room without a second thought when Josh grabbed her arm, frowning. "Where are you going?" He insisted, eyes scrunching together as he watched her closely.

"I'm…I've gotta go, Josh." She insisted, eyes darting to the door where Amber, Alfie, Eddie and Nina were no where to be found.

Josh frowned down at her. "What's going on, Joy?" He persisted, eyes intense. He'd learned to be probing and easily appeared just worried. Girls melted oh so easily when a guy really cared.

Joy's eyes turned to the window and she saw the retreating figures of Sibuna running across the lawn toward the house. "I don't really know but I have to go back." She answered, pushing past him.

"Then I'll come with you." He answered seriously.

Joy shook her head. "You can't." Her voice shook as she dodged through the people in the crowd.

"Joy, I'm not going to let you go like this." He called, following her with quick strides. "Something is wrong. You aren't thinking clearly."

Joy burst through the front doors and glared at the ground. "Fine!" She almost yelled, hitting the grass at a run and speeding toward the house.

Josh jogged behind her, being tall enough that he really didn't need to run. His hair blew back in the wood and when Joy shuddered to a jog he raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?" He asked, veering around the corner of the house.

"Sibuna isn't only Anubis backwards." She began, flinging the front door open.

"I kind of figured that." Josh hedged, following her up the stairs.

"Amber, Alfie, Nina, Eddie and I are currently fighting to save Nina, Fabian and Patricia's lives." Joy answered in the simplest way possible as they burst through Nina's closed door.

"Aren't Patricia and Fabian dead?" Josh asked, eyes turning to look around the room in confusion.

"No time for a recap, dude." Amber answered him with a little glare before turning back to Nina who was shaking on her bed.

"We have to go now. We have to go." Nina whispered, arms wrapped around her legs as if she was rooted to the spot. She looked cold.

Eddie was sitting beside her, eyes wide. "Where, Nina?" He asked under his breath, heartbeat quickening. The room was spinning as time grew closer. They had less than twelve hours to find the last piece or everything was over. He almost thought it would be easier if they didn't find it. Maybe they'd all die. Then it'd be over. Everything. All he knew was that it wasn't going to stop otherwise.

"It's in the attic." She answered, letting out a shuddering breath.

Amber and Alfie stood up suddenly, smiling. "Where in the attic, Nina? We'll go get it." They answered with lighthearted smiles.

She shook her head. "I have to go." She answered, sighing as she stood up. She then opened her eyes with a look of utter determination. This was it. She'd known it all along but now all of the pieces have come together. It was time. Her feet led her to the attic door and she turned the lock all to easily before walking up the stairs into the eerily quiet attic along with the others.

Josh stood utterly shocked beside Joy and Eddie was two steps behind Nina the whole time. Amber and Alfie on the other hand stood in the middle of the room, hands intertwined and eyes hopeful for the end. This quest had worn on everyone's emotions and pushed everyone's limits.

Nina let out a long breath as she reached into her shirt, pulling out her necklace. She then took slow steps toward the wall.

"Nina, you're going to walk into the wall." Alfie mumbled with a frown. The Chosen One's lost her mind.

Nina growled under her breath. "I know what I'm doing." She answered, walking forward to the wall and running her fingers down the flat surface, biting her lip. The necklace wasn't turning red. Where was the imprint on the wall? This had to be it. This was it.

"Nina, nothing is there." Amber whispered, eyes wide with worry.

"It's here!" Nina argued, angry tears running down her face. It's here. "I know it is. I saw it." She turned to Eddie. "Come here, Osirian." She yelled, idea popping into her head. Sometimes he had to touch her for it to work. The Osirian and the Chosen One need to be linked in some way for it to work. It was only logical for the last clue to be of the same caliber.

Josh frowned. "Osirian?" He asked Joy but Amber shot him a look over her shoulder as Eddie walked forward to gently brush the tears from Nina's face.

"Nina, nothing is happening." He told her gently, eyes sad.

Nina shook her head. "Just wait. It's here, I know it." She whispered, sobs wracking her body. She'd seen it. She knew it was here. It had to be. This was her last hope. She couldn't give up. Not now. Not when the answer to her problem was right in front of her.

The room turned cold and Josh fell to his knees, covering his ears as the sound of the voice filled their minds and invaded every personal thought they'd been having moments before. " _Look to where today meets tomorrow and find the place where the way is hollow."_

Josh looked up, eyes red. "Midnight." He choked out. "We have to wait until midnight."

"Then time will be up." Amber replied, eyes horrified.

Eddie started over Nina's shoulder at the wall, heart beating fast. "It doesn't have to be." He whispered, feeling the Osirian in him bubble up.

"What does that mean?" Joy asked, not having made a sound the whole time. She could see something n his eyes that scared her.

Eddie turned to Joy, looking at her with tired eyes. "I think I can manipulate the time to freeze us in that one moment long enough to assemble the mirror and finish the task."

"What?" Jerome's voice echoed through the room and everyone jumped, turning to where he'd popped up beside the door.

"Jerome!" Mara yelled, glaring at him as she too stood from where they'd been hiding.

Jerome groaned. "Oh, come on, Mara. I don't care anymore." He turned to the others. "What is going on here?"

Josh nodded, frowning deeply. "I agree. Will someone please explain this?" He asked, looking up pleadingly at Joy.

Nina dropped to the floor, eyes tired. "Looks like we're all Sibuna now." She whispered, pulling Eddie down with her and leaning her head against his shoulder. "I am the Chosen One." She told them weakly, eyes dropping to the floor. "Eddie is my Osirian, or protector." She mumbled, squeezing his hand gently as his arms wrapped around her gently. "If we don't finish this task on time, I'll be dead before morning."

Eddie frowned. "Patricia and Fabian gave themselves up so the task could be continued, knowing that if we succeeded we could bring them back to life." He added quietly.

Joy sat down, leaning against the back of the bed. "We've been caught between the world of the gods and the mortals for almost a year now. Originally it was thought that I was the Chosen One but then we found out it was Nina."

Jerome looked over at Nina, eyes weary. "During prom last year…?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Nina nodded. "We were fighting back then as we are now." She bit back a sob. "The scary thing is that I have to drag my friends into this." She said, looking at each of them in turn before sighing.

"Oh, Nina." Amber whispered, sitting beside her and hugging her shoulders. "We'd never let you go through this alone."

Mara slipped down onto the edge of Vera's old bed, hands shaking. "What now?" She asked, eyes focusing on the sun that was spilling through the windows.

"Someone needs to go back to school." Amber answered quickly. "Cover for the rest of us till the end of the day. I don't think Nina needs to go back." She added, frowning a bit. She glanced at the way Nina was clinging to Eddie and sighed. "Boys, I think you should go back. Maybe you too, Mara. Less suspicious, yeah?"

Eddie shook his head. "No." He answered. "I'm not leaving Nina."

Joy shook her head. "We need to have some girl bonding time." She answered, shaking her head. "I have a feeling you'll have time for Osirian-Chosen One bonding later."

Eddie frowned deeply, turning to Nina. "Neens?"

Nina nodded. "I'll be fine, Eddie." She sniffled. "Go on… I really need to take some time." She told him, smiling gently. "I'll see you later." She promised, gently pushing him away.

Eddie nodded, standing up. "I'll see you as soon as school's out." He told her before walking out of the room followed by everyone but Amber and Joy.

Amber smiled gently at Nina. "What do you want to do?" She asked Nina, offering her hand.

Nina looked up through teary eyes. "I think I need to cry." She answered weakly, gripping Amber's hand. "Just got out that box of pictures you stole from my side of the room and cry."

Amber nodded, helping her up and pulling her into a tight hug. "And we'll be there to hold you." Joy answered, joining the hug with a little smile.

Nina smiled. "Thank you." She whispered inaudibly, hands burning in the other two's as they towed her downstairs and into Nina and Amber's room. Amber pulled a box from her closet and handed it to Nina after she'd sat down on the edge of the bed.

Joy sat on one side of her and Amber on the other as she slowly lifted the lid. The picture on the top of the pile was of Nina and Fabian at prom as they danced, so happy and free. The next was the whole of Sibuna, grinning in their prom outfits. After all, it was all over. Nina choked back a sob as she ripped the band aid off, knowing that once it was over she could be strong to bring him back. Soon she'd have her Fabian back. She knew that this time they'd win. The price of loosing was too great.

* * *

><p>Everything was ready. The mirror was all but complete with a large piece missing from the center. Everyone was in their pajamas and sitting cross legged on Nina and Amber's floor, eyes glued to the clock. It was 11:55.<p>

"Let's go." Nina told them, looking into each of their eyes with a serious expression. She stood up and Eddie did too, picking up the mirror and walking to the door.

"Now, I've not yet tried to manipulate time…" He mumbled with a frown. He looked at Nina nervously. "I just…I felt it. That's what I'm supposed to do." His voice shook with nervousness at the monumental task. He could ruin everything.

Nina looked at him, smiling gently. "Eddie, I believe in you." She promised, opening the door and padding down the hall silently. Her fingers wrapped around the handle of the door, throwing it open and hurrying up the stairs.

Eddie followed her and just as Amber moved to follow up the stairs the temperature dropped. "_Just the two!" _The voice hissed into Amber's mind and she jumped back, eyes panicked.

Nina turned back, eyes wide before trudging up the stairs and letting out a long breath as they stepped into the attic. "Just put the mirror on the bed." She told him, walking over to the wall. "You need to be ready."

Eddie nodded, setting down the mirror before turning to Nina. He pulled his phone out, checking the time. "We have one minute."

Nina let out a long breath. "Eddie. Thank you for everything. Really, you've been amazing. A truly fantastic Osirian. You did everything you could."

Eddie took in a sharp breath, eyes focusing on the glowing red necklace around her neck. "Go, Nina!" He yelled, mind on fire as he focused all of his energy on that moment. That moment they could live in forever. They could stay focused and never leave. He could hold them there at 12:00.

Nina dashed to the imprint on the wall, pressing the necklace against the wall and watching as the hiding place opened with a tiny click. She spotted the piece in seconds, vaguely noticing the Cup which was still hidden there.

Eddie groaned and she snapped out of it, running the piece over to where he was standing by the bed. She shuddered out a breath as she placed the piece into the mirror, the world turning a bright shade of scarlet for a long moment as Eddie released the moment and time sped forward around them.

Time screamed in frustration at being handled and Eddie covered his ears, head pounding. "Nina!" He screamed, wrapping his arms around her.

There was a pounding on the door and then the others were standing there, staring, eyes amazed as the mirror which had been glowing in deep crimson dissolved into the bedspread, leaving a puddle of blood in it's wake.

"_Good night, children." _The voice hissed into their ears and Nina cried out, falling to the ground by some sort of cosmic need to sleep, rest, wake up with a miracle before her eyes.

The others fell with her and all of Anubis house ended up asleep on the floor of the attic. Nina was wrapped in Eddie's arms and beside them Joy and Amber were leaning against each other. Josh was leaning against the edge of the bed, head lolled back. Jerome and Alfie were both beside the door, completely knocked out.

Sunlight streamed through the window as the door was jerked open, hitting Jerome in the head and causing him to yelp. "Aw, man!" He groaned, looking up at who had opened the door. His eyes bugged out. "Guys!" He yelled, jumping up and hugging Patricia who was standing there with a huge, giddy smile.

Nina slowly gained consciousness and jumped out of Eddie's arms, jarring him awake as she ran across the room to throw her arms around Fabian's neck. "Never do that again, Fabian Rutter!" She yelled, almost sobbing into his neck.

Amber grinned at them as Eddie hugged Patricia close. "Yay!" She yelled, jumping up to hug them both at the same time. "Anubis house is back." She practically sang with joy.

And it was true. Anubis house was back and Sibuna had doubled. Chosen One, Osirian and their eight best friends? What could go wrong?


	30. Chapter 30

**Dear Readers, **

**Do you realize how much I love you? It's 10:24 on a Sunday night. I have class in the morning and I really should be asleep right now but now I've invested 3 hours in finishing this epic finale so here's your equally epic ending author's note. **

**This is the end of this fic. That doesn't mean it has to be the end of my writing HOA. Just ask. Five people ask me to continue, I'll continue. Alright? Cool beans. But I might ask you to wait until I'm out of school for the next one. Unless you guys have some ideas and want to be my muse (I mean I'll talk to my muse but he and I are kinda in an awkward part of everything and yeah… PM me if you care to know the details *evil laughter*) cuz I'm kind of out of ideas with this right now. I'll be able to think on it once school's out.**

**Oh! And thanks for the support with Chad. Guys you made me keep writing. And I love you for that. **

**Now, my cat is sleeping on my feet so I'm going to go to bed now. (blame Oreo for the shortish author's note:P) Please, epic reviews to my epic author's note after the epic finale. (yes I just used epic three times in one sentence. **

**Love, **

**Hannah Kay (I totally spelled my name wrong there… **

**PS: While writing the last chapter, I listened to and half watched 3 hours worth of HOA fanmade videos GOTTA LOVE 'EM. Visit for more information!*giggles* night, night.**


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